Dialogic feedback in English Language Teaching (ELT): Modalities, outcomes, and research trends

As part of a large-scale project on English Language Teaching (ELT) researchers' research practice in higher education, this study explored how a Masters student, a doctoral student, and a university instructor in applied linguistics in higher education setting constructed and reconstructed their professional identities as ELT researchers and how they coped with the contextual challenges in this regard. The required data were collected through a narrative enquiry approach in the forms of interviews, diaries, and field visits over nine academic months (i.e., one academic year) in the ELT higher education. The findings, guided by Grounded Theory, indicated a number of themes addressing the participants' professional identities, which were subject to change. The participants formed and reformed their professional identities as ELT researchers with regard to the passage of time, their personal values, their social interactions with other researchers, and the institutional and sociocultural setting. The findings are further elaborated and discussed in the light of the literature and the uncovered themes. The study suggests implications for newly accepted or recruited Masters and doctoral students and university instructors in applied linguistics as researchers in higher education.

A number of statistical packages were developed by software developers and companies to assist English language teaching (ELT) researchers. This chapter focuses on the role of technology in assisting ELT researchers in the form of online survey tools and data analysis software packages, and it provides an introduction to the application of widely used software packages. Analysis of the research over the past five years, and the role of technology to frame its findings, shows the vital and unavoidable significance of technology for the promotion of English language teaching research. The present analysis revealed the significant role of SPSS software for enhancing the quality of ELT research in a scientific manner. The study analyses various statistical techniques used and the various software that offers these techniques according to need. It also suggests the best software for ELT research and explains the features of these software packages.

A number of statistical packages were developed by software developers and companies to assist English language teaching (ELT) researchers. This chapter focuses on the role of technology in assisting ELT researchers in the form of online survey tools and data analysis software packages, and it provides an introduction to the application of widely used software packages. Analysis of the research over the past five years, and the role of technology to frame its findings, shows the vital and unavoidable significance of technology for the promotion of English language teaching research. The present analysis revealed the significant role of SPSS software for enhancing the quality of ELT research in a scientific manner. The study analyses various statistical techniques used and the various software that offers these techniques according to need. It also suggests the best software for ELT research and explains the features of these software packages.

This research trend analysis aims to understand the prevalence of Mixed Methods Research (MMR) in English language teaching (ELT) research within the Journal of NELTA from 2009 to 2021, identifying the extent to which MMR is employed in the ELT field and assessing adherence to the International Journal of Mixed Methods Research (IJMMR, 2018) guidelines. A two-stage screening process was conducted, initially involving the manual screening of 176 articles and subsequently assessing 20 shortlisted articles against the checklist of IJMMR. The analysis confirms a limited utilization of MMR in ELT research, with only 20 (approximately 11%) of the 176 reviewed articles incorporating MMR, while qualitative and quantitative methodologies take precedence. Adherence to the International Community of Practice guidelines, as established by IJMMR, is lacking in most articles, emphasizing the need for better alignment with established guidelines to enhance MMR quality in ELT research. This study highlights a substantial gap in the adoption of MMR in ELT research, possibly due to methodological conservatism and a lack of awareness and training within the ELT community, presenting an opportunity for scholars to explore MMR’s potential to bridge gaps in traditional ELT research and enhance the understanding of language teaching and learning processes.

Very few studies have comprehensively mapped out the landscape of English language teaching (ELT) research, particularly those that are not accessible to wider international readership. Thus, this bibliometric study examines ELT doctoral and master’s theses in the Philippines. A total of 98 theses and dissertations completed between 2010 and 2018 were collected from various Philippine universities. Quantitative analysis was used to examine the characteristics and topical foci of the selected studies. Findings reveal that most of the theses and dissertations mainly focussed on only four ELT areas. The other 17 areas remain underexplored ( N = 11) or unexplored ( N = 6). Findings further suggest that there has been a lack of direction and slow expansion of ELT research areas in the country. This trend is primarily attributed to the absence of clear ELT research agenda. Implications for English language education, teacher education, and future direction for ELT research in the country are discussed.

Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) has been the sole English Language Teaching (ELT) research enterprise in the Sultanate of Oman through the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Methods of Teaching English degree program it launched in the early 1990s. Eighty-two theses have been completed so far about topics pertinent to ELT in the Sultanate of Oman. However, a review of those theses has shown that the discussion of these topics lacks a critical dimension that can advance Omani ELT at the micro and macro levels. This critical qualitative study, therefore, sets out to make a case for new directions in ELT research at the M.Ed. in ELT program at SQU. The discussion should lead to better understanding of the multiple ELT problems in the Sultanate of Oman and have implications for other similar contexts.

Aim/Purpose: This study attempts to provide a thorough review on online English Language Teaching (ELT) research in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of presenting best practices of online ELT classes for the future blended or hybrid learning scenario. To operationalize the “best practices” of online learning, the Community of Inquiry framework was used as the guiding perspective. Background: There is a dearth of research employing a systematic review of English Language Teaching (“ELT”) practices in Indonesia carried out during the pandemic, with a view of synthesizing such practices. Such a review is deemed essential in order to provide a comprehensive description of good practices in online English classes, such as in terms of integrating technology into the ELT virtual classes, taking advantage of the experience gained from approximately more than two years of Emergency Remote Learning in the country. Methodology: This study employed the Research Review methodology, with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) 2020 to guide the process. Database (Google Scholar and Scopus) search was conducted to find research articles in English on ELT during the pandemic in Indonesia, excluding those that are conceptual in nature. The final list of 94 articles was then coded using the categories in the Community of Inquiry (“CoI”) framework, namely, Teaching, Cognitive, and Social Presence. Inter-rater reliability was computed to assess the risk of bias of the two reviewers. The resulting data, in the form of pieces of “evidence” of the CoI categories, were tabulated and described. Contribution: This research has contributed to providing a synthesis of online ELT teaching practice in Indonesia during the pandemic, specifically in describing the way teachers enacted the Teaching, Cognitive, and Social Presence online through the use of technology. This paper also describes how such deployment of technology should be accompanied by a selective choice of activities and explicit guidance from teachers, as well as teachers’ supportive attitude. Consequently, this study is probably among the first to carry out a systematic review of emergency online ELT practice during the pandemic from the CoI perspective, addressing a methodological gap of extant online ELT systematic review studies. Findings: The results show that Teaching Presence constituted the highest number of pieces of evidence, with a caveat that the application of technology should be combined with clear instruction and task requirements. Next, Cognitive Presence needs to be fostered through activities that promote problem solving and critical thinking, such as online discussions, problem- or project-based learning, and self-reflection. Lastly, teachers need to make use of technologies to convey genuine concern for students and create a warm and friendly online environment as part of teaching activities that build Social Presence, although some affective expressions will need to be managed well to prevent some possible undesirable effects. Recommendations for Practitioners: English teachers in Indonesia, or elsewhere with a similar context to that in the country, can gain insights on the good practice of online learning in terms of teaching methods, media, platforms, assessments, etc. Besides, the online English teaching practices can also inform pre- and in-service teacher education programs, so as to provide technology integration training that has already been tried and empirically tested. Recommendation for Researchers: For future research, the seemingly fewer pieces of evidence found in Cognitive and Social Presence might be fertile ground for Indonesian ELT scholars to carry out research focusing on those aspects. Much research outside of Indonesia has been conducted around the theme of the application of CoI principles in online English classes, while only a few studies in this respect have been found in the Indonesian context. Impact on Society: The findings of this study may help inform educational policies with regards to blended/hybrid or restricted face-to-face meetings in schools. Future Research: This paper has contributed to exemplifying the application of CoI framework as a tool of systematic review in research. Hence, in view of the impending blended, hybrid, or limited face-to-face learning, this type of CoI-framed systematic review research can be replicated in the future to assess the effectiveness of such blended or hybrid teaching mode. Besides, future research could also inquire whether ELT teachers sustain the use of technology in the post-pandemic, on-site learning.

This study employs the Sheltered Instruction (SI) model and a micro-ethnographic classroom-based study to develop the content (i.e., quantitative research in English Language Teaching) and language learning advancement of pre-service English teachers (henceforth PETS), which includes lesson planning and preparation, building a backdrop, comprehensible input, strategies, interaction, practice/application, lesson delivery, and assessment. Seventy English Education students enrolled in the Quantitative Research in English Language Teaching (ELT) course at Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang, Indonesia, volunteered to take part in the study. In this study, data was gathered using students' work artifacts: questionnaires, in-class discussion notes, and reflective journals (daily notes). The findings of a qualitative study indicate the SI model of content and language learning helps PETS improve their academic language. This study also shows that employing SI as an intervention model could help pre-service English teachers improve their academic language skills in the content or subject area in the context of English as a foreign language.

The paper entitled 'Connecting Action Research in English Language Teaching: A Postulation' aims to explore the theoretical aspects of action research by linking the idea with a particular context where the English language is being taught as a foreign language. It was written by collecting related documents from the library and online sources specifically. The resources were sorted out to make them relevant to the selected issue. Specifically, the books and generally, some articles were reviewed mainly for the literature and made a list thematically. Then, they were analyzed, interpreted, and connected to the topic. It was concluded that the area of action research is broad and many action kinds of research are being done cyclically in social science. As it is a buzz word in the field of education, particularly in English as a foreign language teaching, the practitioners are requested to connect the action research for the purpose of improving the teaching-learning as well as professional development in this nonnative English situation.

The relatively limited consideration of ideology in mainstream theory and research of English language teaching (ELT) has arguably prevented the problematization of many taken-for-granted perceptions and practices in the field. This article brings part of this marginalised body of scholarship on issues of ideology in the area of ELT together to highlight its potential insights. The article sets out from a view of ideology as the most fundamental beliefs in any social practice, which may provide a less-formidable conception of the term and lessen the divergence among ELT researchers who do concern themselves with ideology. Then, after a brief sketch of the notion of ideology of language (education), I present an overview of this marginal but vibrant stream of thought on issues of ideology in ELT. Overall, the discussion acts as a call for the further understanding and embracement of socio-politically sensitive and ideologically informed approaches to ELT theory, research, and practice.

This research aimed to develop a model of Inter-Group Discussion Forum (IGDF) application as media to increase students’ interaction and participation in the discussion forum during the online learning. Data were collected through the process of the implementation of discussion forum using IGDF application during the online learning of Research in English Language Teaching (ELT) courses during the teaching period of 2014.2. Data of the students participation were collected through online observation, and data about the students’ perception of the IGDF model were collected by providing an online close and open ended questionnaires and analyzed by calculating the percentage. The results of this study indicated that the application of IGDF is applicable in online learning. The amount of participation and the quality of the interaction from the discussion through IGDF has not shown significant improvement. The main obstacle came from the technical problems associated with passwords and the ability to follow the discussion in a discussion forum between groups. However, the variety types of posting has increased. Each group is able to post presentations, questions, responses, and commands. Students' perceptions toward the IGDF proved significant where there was 88.46% of them stated that the discussion forum with IGDF is very good discussion among the group and it can increase interaction among students in the online learning.

The globalization of English and shifts demanded by the 21st century have modified the landscape of English language teaching (ELT) in the past decades (Blitvich, 2018). The members of such a globalized village now engage in diverse practices and identity formation processes (Kumaravadivelu, 2008; Silva, 2016). However, many studies on ELT globalization and transnationalism are dominated by specific communities of practice (e.g., US). Additionally, a global and inclusive picture of transnational research on ELT praxis and identity is missing. To fill these gaps, the present volume entitled “transnational research in English language teaching: critical practices and identities” aims to showcase the complex global ELT landscape across contexts and practitioners in order to deepen our understanding of the transnational research and practice. Jain, Yazan, and Canagarajah unified a range of inquiries on this topic drawing on language teachers, educators, and researchers from different backgrounds. The volume considers personal, professional, and theoretical foundations of transnational identities and pedagogical practices, which are shaped by communities of practice. Since this volume rests on trajectories and lived experiences of ELT professionals across the globe, it decenters and decolonizes research in the field and provides a geographically wide insight. Therefore, the book is beneficial for ELT students, teachers, researchers, and teacher educators in that their disciplinary vision could be expanded to a more just and inclusive landscape.

The COVID-19 pandemic considerably altered the English Language Teaching (ELT) milieu . Hence, this bibliometric study was conducted to sketch a broad description of the ELT research during the outbreak and reveal the conceptual, intellectual, and social structure of the field. The Scopus database was consulted to find journal articles published in English on ELT between 2020 and 2021. A total of 2,273 documents were analyzed by running Bibliometrix R-Tool. The findings on research productivity and impact under general description indicated the growing prominence of Asian countries in ELT research. The conceptual and intellectual structure analyses suggest that topics on technology and psycholinguistics have gained increasing interest. However, the social structure analysis result called for more collaboration among institutions in the ELT field. The result of this study may serve as a valuable guide for novice ELT writers on contemporary topics, prominent ELT scholars, and leading journals for reference and publication venue. For future research, ELT researchers interested in bibliometrics can carry out similar research using different databases or perform this same study after two years to paint the post-pandemic ELT research landscape.

The article proposes a framework for integrating English as a lingua franca (ELF) research in English language teaching (ELT), predominantly pedagogy, but also teacher education, materials development and evaluation, policy design and planning, assessment and testing. The main concept here is ELF awareness, which orientates a set of principles that refer to the knowledge, attitudes, and skillset of ELT stakeholders and ELT products with regard to issues and concerns raised in the ELF (and, by extension, the English as an international language and the World Englishes) research literature, and the extent to which they have relevance for local ELT contexts. The article makes the case that ELF awareness does not characterize a unique instructional approach to teaching and learning, but integrates the learner- and learning-centred ‘ESP approach’ put forward by English for specific purposes scholars in the 1980s and widely accepted subsequently in ELT. Furthermore, ELF awareness is viewed as a continuum that depicts the gradual transformation of stakeholders’ attitudes, to the extent that local contexts and stakeholders’ needs and wants allow.

Feedback is a dialogic process in which diverse individuals are involved. In internationalised higher education, individuals with different feedback literacies are likely to participate in feedback dialogues and interactions across feedback cultures. Such intercultural interactions can be challenging; some degree of intercultural competence is needed for dialogues between cultures to be effective and appropriate for all involved. This paper brings together feedback and intercultural competence research, exploring whether developing intercultural competence specific to feedback contexts can support more effective dialogues. Narrative interviews and audio diary methods were employed over a 9-month period of time to explore the role of intercultural competence in feedback dialogues across feedback cultures. Changes over time were captured through the longitudinal design of the study. Findings show that knowledge and awareness of diverse feedback practices and cultures, intercultural critical reflection, intercultural emotional management, alongside a set of skills and attitudes towards diversity of feedback practices can impact on facilitating intercultural feedback dialogues. A framework of feedback intercultural competence is proposed, and further research is encouraged to expand upon this exploratory papers’ initial contribution.