Current Issue

Abstract:

Many scholars have investigated metadiscourse use in academic settings, but they have mostly explored written data, such as academic essays and research articles. However, spoken discourses like student presentations are rarely explored. Extant studies tend to focus on metadiscourse investigation in either native or non-native English learners’ writing or speaking respectively. We argue that a comparative investigation of non-native English learners’ speaking and writing permits understanding their lexical choices for making their discourse coherent. This study examines written and spoken metadiscourse markers of Indonesian EFL students, highlighting potential similarity and or differences as well as their distinctive features. In doing so, we refer to Hyland’s (1998, 2004) metadiscourse markers: the interactive and interactional taxonomy. This attempt is necessary given that writing or speaking is a social practice where speakers or writers’ need to provide audiences with a “channel” to understand the message. Hyland’s taxonomy of metadiscourse markers enables us to shed important light on “social engagement” among speakers, writers, and audiences in the respective context. In terms of research method, we employed a quantitative approach. The data were gathered from eight student presentations and seventy writing tasks in an Academic Writing class. The findings demonstrate that interactive markers are used more frequently than interactional devices in both spoken (1616) and written discourse (278). The interactional markers, on the other hand, are reported to happen only 855 times in spoken and 133 times in written discourses. It also echoes Indonesian EFL students’ communicative strategic preference that tends to connect and highlight the arguments in lieu of displaying participants’ involvement.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

The present study examines Iranian EFL instructors’ conceptualizations of task-based language teaching (TBLT) to identify whether teaching experience plays a significant role in their familiarity with the theoretical underpinnings of TBLT. One hundred sixty-two EFL instructors, reportedly practicing CLT, took part in the study; they were grouped into two categories of novice (N=74) and experienced (N=88). They were asked to fill out a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire designed by the researchers. The responses from the participants were then measured against Ellis’s (2012) criteria of task. The analyses indicated that both novice and experienced language instructors lacked a clear understanding of the ins and outs of TBLT. The findings suggest that without having been fully introduced to this approach, one cannot expect teachers to perform well in a task-based classroom. Hence, not only should stakeholders, administrators, and teacher educators consider offering teaching practicum opportunities, but they also should include introductory courses and workshops at theoretical levels for all teachers, irrespective of their teaching experience.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

Graphophonemic (GP) knowledge of a language represents the foundation of a good learning start point. In the English as a foreign language (EFL) context, many learners lack adequate GP knowledge of English, resulting in difficulty to master the language skills even at the tertiary level. Thus, this study investigated first-year university, commonly known as Preparatory Year (PY), students’ GP knowledge of English. To do this, the study made use of two instruments – a survey of students' answer scripts and an English GP Knowledge Survey (EGPKS). The first instrument included the survey of the Diagnostic Test answer scripts of PY students’ Listening and Speaking and Writing subjects. In addition, the English GP knowledge survey was developed and administered to 252 PY students at Najran University. The results were analyzed with the crosscheck method of both instruments to validate the data and results. The results of both instruments showed that approximately 50% of the participants did not have adequate GP knowledge, which included English phonological and morphological bases. The phonological bases included graph/digraph to consonant or vowel phonemes and graph/digraph to zero phonemes, and the morphological bases included syllable division structure and adding suffixes. The study gave a close picture of the PY students’ GP knowledge that would be a useful teaching resource in similar EFL contexts.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

The neoliberal system in Chile has caused socio-educational inequities which have been evidenced by the poor academic results of public school students in national and international standardized tests in Math, Language, Science, and English. These inequities and academic results call for preparing teachers to help diminish disparities in the educational system. Nonetheless, the focus of preparing teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Chile has been on developing pedagogical-disciplinary knowledge, leaving aside other areas that can contribute to fight these educational inequities. This article reports on the results of a mixed-method study aimed at investigating how a service-learning project helped future EFL teachers understand social justice after teaching children in vulnerable communities. Specifically, this study explored the influence of the project on their understanding of social justice, and the activities that helped them understand this construct. Thirty-nine pre-service teachers enrolled in a language teaching methodology course at a Chilean university participated answering pre- and post- surveys, focus groups, and evaluating activities. The findings revealed that the pre-service teachers broadened their understanding of social justice by providing definitions that included key concepts of this construct, without receiving explicit instruction; highly valued activities that consisted of being immersed in the communities and working with children to learn about social justice; and did not associate social justice with traditional activities done in a language teaching methodology course. This service-learning project had a positive impact on the participants’ understanding of social justice, and provided insights into how to improve the curriculum of EFL teacher education programs.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix 1
Supplementary file: Appendix 2
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

The English syllabus provides the students of the Maritime Vocational Schools (MVS) with necessary Maritime English (ME) competence compatible with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) curriculum, or the Indonesian Seafarers Quality Standard System (QSS) Curriculum (adapted from the IMO, in an Indonesian context). The gap in the ME learning process which represents a crucial problem in the Indonesian MVS is the availability of a syllabus for the subject. This study aims to evaluate the existing ME syllabus from the 2013 Curriculum for the MVS. This evaluation seeks to discover whether the given syllabus fulfills the real demands of the workplace by comparing it with the competencies presented by the QSS Curriculum. The result of this evaluation is to redesign ME competencies according to the international maritime workplace requirements. Observations, questionnaires, and interviews regarding the English competencies used on board ship were utilized to gather qualitative and quantitative data. The results indicated that (1) the current ME syllabus is acceptable for six out of the eight competencies proven to be needed for deck officer class IV, and (2) a new ME syllabus consisting of fourteen ME competencies according to the 2013 curriculum, The results of a needs analysis in the maritime workplace is proposed.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix 1
Supplementary file: Appendix 2
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

The function of donor-sponsored teacher training programs is a commonly observed phenomenon in many English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) countries. Since the mid-1990s, Bangladesh has been in the process of continuing donor-aided teacher training programs for English teachers (Rahman et al., 2019). English in Action (EIA) was the latest attempt to train teachers so that they could conduct interactive English classes. Yet, the outcome of EIA is also depressing, as reported by so many studies (Anwaruddin, 2017; Hamid, 2010; Hamid & Erling, 2016; Rahman, 2015). The current study intends to launch a unique investigation into the support and arrangement of the EIA training program to develop English teachers professionally. Additionally, the present study highlights the inconsistencies prevailing in the EIA training program. The study harnesses integrated approaches to teacher development (TD) by Hargreaves and Fullan (1992), professional development model by Zein (2017), organized hypocrisy (OH) theory by Lipson and Weaver (2008), and stakeholder theory by Chu et al. (2013). A semi-structured interview with eight teachers was carried out. The findings revealed that EIA engaged teachers in diverse activities. Moreover, it has created a new identity for the teachers ‘as facilitators’. Additionally, the study divulges various inconsistencies associated with this £50 million training program. The present study could act as an eye-opener for national policymakers such as the Ministry of Education in Bangladesh.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

In this article we will present a study undertaken in the scope of a Content and Language Integrated Learning project, which was implemented at a local private primary school in the Oporto area, Portugal. This project takes into account the promotion of a teaching and learning process based on the fostering of 21st Century skills, the so-called “creactical skills” i.e., critical thinking and creativity into action (Ohler, 2013) and a global and sustainable awareness. By tackling these, each child has got the chance to develop values and behavior for a sustainable future planet and a positive society transformation based on equality, respect towards diversity, and the finding of solutions to glocal problems. By developing an action research project and following a mixed-method research methodology , we analysed the project’s implementation, online questionnaires, and other data including lesson plans, supervision reports/notes, pictures, videos and projects in order to find evidence of practices which foster the “creactical skills”. The results show that pupils’ critical thinking, creativity, collabora-tion, and cultural awareness skills may have been fostered, but there is still some work to be done regarding other skills mainly due to teachers’ approaches which have to change.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

This article presents the results of a research project carried out in 2017 at the Agricultural High School of Universidad Autónoma Chapingo in Texcoco, Mexico, with the aim of determining which vocabulary strategies students used, as well as the frequency of their use. A Likert-scale questionnaire with 5 points, adapted from Easterbrook (2013), was distributed to 107 students with an elementary level of English proficiency (i.e., Level A2), corresponding to the Common European Framework of Reference of Languages (CEFRL) (Council of Europe, 2001). The results showed that the participants used vocabulary-learning strategies (VLSs) at a medium level based on the mean statistical measure used. Out of the 51 VLSs included in the questionnaire, 13 experienced a high level of use, 21 a medium level of use and 17 a low level of use. Identifying new words in different sources and predicting their meaning from context stood out among the high-use strategies. More than half of the medium-use strategies were of mnemonic type and various memorization approaches. Most low use strategies involved organizing vocabulary information by theme, rote memorization and review. Overall, the pattern of strategy use suggests that the participants in this study did invest time in discovering the meanings of new words they encountered in context, but their effort was less focused reviewing vocabulary as a means to commit them to the long-term memory. This diagnostic examination of VLSs showed that students may not possess effective means to acquiring vocabulary and therefore, instruction need to include familiarizing students with strategies for them to effectively acquire, store and retrieve vocabulary items.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

Word clouds can be used as an effective tool for the teaching and learning processes in language learning, as the visual input during schemata activation, and other parts of the lesson, serve as manageable and meaningful target language input. There are emerging studies that explore their effectiveness, but less so with respect to their use in the online second language classroom. This study explores the effectiveness of word clouds for teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in an asynchronous mode. The study used a mixed methods design and triangulation was used for data collection. The participant group, as bachelor’s degree students at the Virtual University of Pakistan (VUP), were given word clouds based assessment activities in two communication skills courses: Eng 001 (305 students participated) and Eng 101 (1714 and 1516 students participated in two activities respectively). The scores of the students were analyzed to gauge the suitability of task-based assessment in an asynchronous mode. Furthermore, an online survey questionnaire was administered to seek their input on the assessment activities. A total of 272 (N= 272) students responded to the survey questionnaire. The results reflected that the students responded positively overall regarding the use of word clouds for reading comprehension and essay writing tasks but had mixed opinions about reading and writing skill improvement tasks. The study concludes that the use of word clouds for pre-reading and pre-writing activities for task-based EFL teaching in asynchronous learning environments can be effective with the constraints that are described.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

resources that teachers draw on to encourage social interaction in the EFL classroom. This examination includes a detailed analysis of the practical activities teachers engage in, focusing on their use of linguistic repertoires (Unamuno, 2008). The results of classroom observations and field notes show several dominant linguistic practices such as the use of transitional markers, speech modification, turn-taking, and code-switching, though code-switching (CS) are the dominant interactional patterns. In addition, using an applied Conversation Analysis (CA) approach (Walsh, 2013), transcriptions were combined to allow a holistic insight into what takes place regarding teachers’ classroom practices. The discussion includes how a better understanding of the EFL classroom and how teachers use these resources to engage in communication should be brought to the floor in the evolving field of EFL research and interaction studies.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

Dominant processes of economic and cultural globalization have accelerated the use of English as a medium of instruction and precipitated diverse, yet intersected global student mobility, which have resulted in varied forms and uses of English in academic contexts. The present study reports on the findings of research into the attitudes and perceptions of a group of Chinese students studying English as an Additional Language (EAL) towards the legitimacy of non-native speaker (NNS) accents, including their own, as used in cross-cultural interactions in academic contexts. The research aims at unpacking students’ views of their Chinese accented English to better understand the ways in which their attitudes towards English accents help negotiate and sustain their ethnic identities in academic contexts. Drawing on a qualitative paradigm, the study utilized in-depth interviews with a sample of four participants. The results suggested that intelligibility is highly regarded at least at the cognitive level, which gives their idiolectal varieties of English greater legitimacy. However, such a hard-developed belief is seriously thwarted by their lived experiences of discrimination over their accented speech, which pushes them back, yet again, to a position of perceived inferiority that hinders their active participation in their academic contexts.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to investigate the mental processes university students followed while reading short stories. It also sought to find the common problems in reading and understanding short stories and how linguistic and extra-linguistic factors formed those challenges. The total number of the participants was 15 (seven males and eight females) in three public universities in Iraqi Kurdistan. The data were recorded and collected among second year university students who were enrolled in an English short stories course in the second year of their studies in the 2014-2015 academic year. To collect the data, a think-aloud protocol was developed and questions about the text were answered verbally by the participants. A qualitative approach was adopted to analyse the obtained data descriptively. The results indicated the fact that some reading strategies were employed by the learners, these strategies were not adequate for them to fully analyse the text in a literary manner. More specifically, they attempted to answer literary questions in the same way that they answered general reading comprehension questions. The analysis of the data also revealed that lack of vocabulary was a major issue for the learners’ inability in answering questions correctly. It was also found that the learners were influenced by their own cultural backgrounds and the social norms that they have been exposed to while reading and analysing short stories.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix 1
Supplementary file: Appendix 2
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

Este artículo aborda un estudio de caso centrado en las percepciones del alumnado respecto de una intervención pedagógica destinada a mejorar sus habilidades comunicativas en inglés (la recepción y la producción oral y escrita). Esto se ha hecho por medio de una propuesta teórico-metodológica, el proyecto Bringing Generations Together, que es un modelo de aprendizaje experiencial cuyo objetivo era expandir el repertorio multimodal fundamentado en el propio aprendizaje y el aprender a enseñar Inglés como Lengua Extranjera (ILE) en el marco de la Multiliteracidad Basada en Géneros (MBG). Este proyecto se realizó con 45 estudiantes de cuarto año del Grado de Magisterio de Educación Primaria, con especialidad en ILE en la Universidad de Valencia (España). Así, se buscaba que aprendieran y adquirieran las competencias para enseñar ILE, pensamiento del diseño, construcción de significado y pensamiento crítico de manera integrada. Asimismo, se buscaba que obtuvieran una base teórica para entender el uso de la lengua, la pedagogía del género y la forma en la que el lenguaje crea significado en contexto. Para ello, el alumnado tenía que crear un portafolio digital, cuyo hilo conductor era la educación intergeneracional, compuesto por proyectos encadenados de géneros literarios distintos: el reportaje infográfico, la entrevista (género conversacional), el guion cinematográfico y el relato digital (ambos parte del género narrativo). Como resultado, el alumnado trabajó competencias avanzadas relacionadas con la recepción y producción escrita y oral, comprendieron la GSF de una manera aplicada y obtuvieron la capacidad de transferir este conocimiento a su futuro alumnado de Educación Primaria.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

E-tandem language exchange is an online program that positively influences learners to gain knowledge and improve their linguistic and communicative competences. The main aim of this qualitative research was to analyze the advantages and drawbacks of an institutional, non-integrated e-tandem developed between a group of English learners from the Technical University of Cotopaxi, Ecuador, and Spanish learners from Miami University in Florida. Data were collected by using observation files and students’ journals. The study shows that this e-tandem project positively influenced students’ language learning, culture, and motivation. The students demonstrated positive attitudes toward language learning and interest in participating. Nevertheless, there were some drawbacks: technological problems, scheduling problems, the lack of a tutors’ guide, compatibility of e-tandem partners, and a low level of the target language. We assert that most of these problems were related to the mode of implementation—institutional and non-integrated. Furthermore, the lack of infrastructure and an administrative process affected the benefits that e-tandem offers. Based on this finding, we suggest strengthening the current program by integrating it into the curriculum so that students have a better learning experience.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

This research explores the role of concept mapping and speech repetition in developing EFL learners’ oral fluency. Eighty language learners, after passing an in-house placement test, were randomly assigned into two equal experimental groups. The data analyses demonstrated that both groups’ oral fluency significantly improved when they were trained to apply concept mapping and 4/3/2 technique. It was argued that concept mapping helps them take a more active role to effectively organize the concepts, plan their tasks, and monitor their activities. Besides, repetition techniques may lead to linguistic proceduralization and automaticity which results in positive changes in underlying cognitive mechanisms and ultimately contributes to long-term and transferrable effects on speaking fluency. Furthermore, a semi-structured interview was run to triangulate the data. This paper discusses some implications for instructors and educators.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

Teacher collaboration has received international research attention and has emerged as an effective way for teachers to engage in professional growth opportunities (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2018; Rao & Chen, 2020). An examination of teacher collaboration can shed light on the process by which teachers work together and illuminate further possibilities for professional learning and growth across all English teaching contexts (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2018; Giles & Yazan, 2019). Building on a sociocultural theory of learning, this study examined ESL and science teachers’ participation in a collaborative partnership to enhance ESL students’ education. It investigated how both teachers learned to co-plan and co-teach ESL students in a seventh-grade science classroom in the Southeastern U.S. This study relied on qualitative data methods and employed grounded theory techniques (Charmaz, 2006). The findings showed that limited collaborative planning time and the ESL and science teachers’ disparate notions of collaborative teaching contributed to the teachers’ unequal collaborative planning and teaching roles. Consequently, different learning outcomes were realized for both teachers.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

Controversy about whether English for General Purposes (EGP) or English for Specific Purposes (ESP) should be taught at university courses has attracted the attention of language teachers and researchers in Mexican higher education during the last decade. However, moving towards ESP remains a complex task since EFL instructors and authorities are challenged to match what students need and want with the development of innovative pedagogical proposals. Therefore, this paper explored the English learning needs and perceptions of the 2014 cohort at a regional campus that is part of a public university in Mexico and how a group of EFL teachers worked with them. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a mixed-method sequential approach. This needs analysis was developed in three stages over two years. During this time, needs were identified and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) within the ESP teaching approach was adopted and implemented. The perceptions of 191 students were assessed through a questionnaire applied after the completion of four EFL classes. The results showed that students’ perceptions were, overall, positive regarding their experiences in their EFL classes. This suggests that the approach used was useful, and the materials were appropriate to support their learning.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Appendix 1
Supplementary file: Appendix 2
Supplementary file: Appendix 3
Supplementary file: Appendix 4
Supplementary file: Appendix 5
Supplementary file: Appendix 6
Supplementary file: Appendix 7
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

This article shares helpful, research-backed ways that parents can support minority languages in their children’s lives. Many parents around the world face language struggles, including losing heritage languages to the community language or trying to support a foreign language to increase future opportunities. For example, parents in Mexico may want to encourage their children to speak Náhuatl with older family members, but the children prefer Spanish due to its widespread use and status in the community. This same family may encourage their children to study English in order to increase future employment and travel opportunities. However, asking children to become bi- or even trilingual can feel like a time-intensive, stressful, and expensive task. It doesn’t have to be a negative experience, though! This article provides tips and strategies, both theoretical and practical, for encouraging minority language study and use in the household, touching on aspects of bilingualism such as literacy, inter-sibling language use, technology, and cost-cutting measures. Families from all over the globe and of any size can utilize this information to encourage bilingualism or multilingualism in their families.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

The objective of this paper is to contribute to the discussion and reflection of a classroom training activity as a method to improve the quality of competency-based assessment in the courses of Mathematics and Bahasa Indonesia. The Introduction describes the theoretical perspectives and the concept of competency-based curriculum as well as competency-based assessment. It also outlines a practical example of competency-based instruction in Mathematics and Bahasa Indonesia, as well as the structure of the new curriculum as a competency-based framework, an approach to assessment using summative or formative assessment. Furthermore, the paper explores active learning and active assessment with an example from a Bahasa Indonesia course using assessment observations and ongoing assessment as examples for competency-based assessment. Finally, the paper concludes with a detailed analysis of a method to collect evidence through analysis and compiling evidence through observation. There is a short identification analysis on participative learning and participative assessment in competency-based assessment.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata

Abstract:

Widely recognized lately, interactional competence (IC) has been of growing research interest. However, there are still some questions and gaps in conceptualizing, operationalization, and assessment. The present article examines the evolution of the combination of concept-based instruction (CBI) elements and conversation analysis (CA) findings implemented in the teaching and testing of IC.



Download PDF
Supplementary file: Biodata