Integrating the Production-oriented Approach into Blended College English Viewing, Listening and Speaking Courses

This paper explores the application of the Production-Oriented Approach (POA) in Business English Listening and Speaking courses. It highlights the significance of Business English in the context of economic globalization and the need to enhance students’ listening and speaking proficiency. Traditional teaching methods, often teacher-centered, fail to adequately stimulate students’ learning initiative. The POA theory, emphasizing a student-centered approach, aims to improve students’ language output ability through motivating, enabling, and assessing phases. In Business English Listening and Speaking course, the application of POA focuses on instructional design, technology integration, and the cultivation of key competencies such as critical thinking, cross-cultural communication skills, and business acumen. The convergence between POA theory and Business English teaching lies in their shared emphasis on student-centeredness, integrated learning and application, and cultural exchange. The paper also proposes task-based teaching activities and a series of coherent activities, such as business meeting simulations and negotiation exercises, to enhance students’ practical application abilities. Challenges in implementing POA and future directions for research and teacher professional development are discussed.

With effective learning as its core principle, Production-oriented Approach (POA) was developed to address the problems of English classroom instruction in China, such as text-centeredness, the separation of learning and using and “dumb English”. This study applied POA to college English classroom instruction in order to examine its effects on English learning and explore its implications for English instruction in the EFL context. Twenty-two second-year students majoring in Applied English in a Sino-US cooperative education program participated in the study. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to the students at the end of each unit and the semester, and semi-structured interviews with fifteen participants to elicit information about students’ motivation, engagement, reflections upon their learning process, and perceptions on the POA class. A variety of assessment tools, including the Teacher-Student Collaborative Assessment approach, were applied to evaluate students’ performance and progress. The study revealed that POA played a positive role in stimulating students’ learning motivation and enhancing students’ communicative competence, especially in speaking and writing. However, the implementation of POA should also be adapted to learner’s variables and needs so that POA can realize its values and create successful results in practice. 

Following the digital transformation of economic industries, the issue of digital industrial platforms that constitute new market structures and provide value accumulation for participants in industrial ecosystems is becoming relevant. A digital industrial platform represents a hybrid ecosystem that provides efficient networking through the use of end-to-end digital technologies aimed at increasing the competitiveness and innovation/technological development of participants in industrial ecosystems. The aim of this research is to provide a typology of digital industrial platforms according to the criteria of functionality and manageability. The theoretical framework of the study is represented by the market-based, institutional and networking approaches. The period of existence of digital industrial platforms is just over 10 years, thence the data for assessing their functionality and economic efficiency are just in the process of conceptualization. Therefore, to date, the basic method of studying digital platforms in industries is an extended case study. One of the world’s largest gas industry companies, Gazprom, was selected as a case study for validating the typology of digital industry platforms. The research focused on the functionality, architecture and management type of Gazprom’s four digital platforms: the counterparty interaction digital platform, continuous production management digital platform, supply chain management digital platform and technology vision digital platform. As a result, the authors confirmed the typology of digital industrial platforms by the criterion of functionality: type I platform (a digital ecosystem of the interaction of industrial ecosystem participants), and type II platform (a set of end-to-end production technologies forming the business model of the industrial enterprise). The typology was supplemented by a new criterion—the ‘manageability’ of the platform, which made it possible to introduce additional types of digital industrial platforms: centralised, decentralised and mixed. The results stemming from this research are intended to provide a better understanding of the phenomenon of digital industrial platforms and can be used in the development of strategies for the digital transformation of industrial markets.

With the rapid development of China’s economy and the rise of China’s international status, the exchange activities between China and other countries are more frequent than before, which results in the fact that English speaking and listening skills have become more and more important for college students. However, the reality is that Chinese college students’ English speaking and listening skills are relatively weak compared to their reading and writing skills. Production-Oriented Approach, proposed by professor Wen Qiufang, is a new theoretical system for college English teaching in China, which aims to solve the problem of the “separation of learning and application”, so as to improve the efficiency of English classroom teaching and to enhance students’ ability to use English in the real environment. What’s more, In the past, English teaching focused too much on the importance of the Western culture and ignored a deep understanding of Chinese traditional culture, which contributed not only to Chinese college students’ weak awareness of spreading Chinese traditional culture but also to their low cross-cultural communication ability. Therefore, to realize the integration of language teaching and Chinese culture is one of the important goals of College English teaching. The case study aims to do a multimode teaching design of integrating Chinese culture with classroom teaching of College English Speaking and Listening course under the guidance of POA, which proved to be not only an effective approach to enhance the learners’ listening and speaking ability, but also a new method to improve the teaching efficiency of ideological and political education in college English teaching.

Background and Aim: This study was a research and development of a College English Listening and Speaking Course. The objectives of this research were 1) To study the background information focusing on course components and existing problems of the College English Listening and Speaking Course. 2) To develop the components and quality of the College English Listening and Speaking Course based on an outcome-based education approach combined with blended learning. 3) To study the effectiveness of implementing College English Listening and Speaking Course based on outcome-based education combined with blended learning to enhance English listening and speaking skills of non-English major students. Materials and Methods: The sample of this study was 40 non-English major freshmen students from Xi’an University, the People's Republic of China. They were derived by cluster random sampling. The instruments used in this research were 1) College English Listening and Speaking Course based on the outcome-based education approach combined with blended learning and its lesson plans, 2) English listening skills test with .88 of reliability, and 3) English speaking skills test with .74 of reliability 4) students’ satisfaction questionnaire with .79 of reliability. The statistics used to analyze data included mean, standard deviation, and t-test for one sample. Results: The research results found that 1) the background information of the College English Listening and Speaking Course and its current problems were principles, objectives, content, instructional strategy, media, and resource evaluation. 2) College English Listening and Speaking Course based on outcome-based education approach and blended learning consisted of 6 steps, that is, Step 1: Determine expected learning outcomes (OBE) Step 2: Design teaching activities(OBE) Step 3: Design teaching methods (blended learning) Step 4: Design teaching assessments (OBE and blended learning) Step 5: Continuous feedback and adaptation (OBE) Step 6: Reflection and improvement (OBE and blended learning) 3) the results of implementation of College English Listening and Speaking Course based on outcome-based education approach combined with blended learning found that (1) Students’ English listening skills after using outcome-based education approach combined with blended learning method was higher than before at a statistically significant level of .01 (M=24.35, SD=2.46). (2)Students’ English speaking skills after using an outcome-based education approach combined with the blended learning method were higher than before at a statistically significant level of .01 (M=24.35, SD=2.46). (3)The satisfaction of students after using the outcome-based education approach combined with the blended learning method was at a higher level (M=4.11, SD=0.64). Conclusion: The developed College English Listening and Speaking Course based on an outcome-based education approach combined with blended learning has a significant effect on enhancing the English listening and speaking skills of non-English major students at Xi’an University. Students are satisfied with the developed College English Listening and Speaking Course based on an outcome-based education approach combined with blended learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected educational practices worldwide, including English language teaching and learning practices like teaching speaking courses. It has also shifted face-to-face learning into distance learning modes. Implementing e-portfolios in assessing students' speaking performance seems to be an alternative as this technique could be implemented fully online. However, how well e-portfolios facilitate students' learning engagement in speaking courses, especially during online learning, has been little documented. Thus, this study aims to explore the students' learning engagement and the challenges of implementing e-portfolios in an online speaking course. Using a single case study in an English Language Department at a public education university in Indonesia, the study involved ten participants selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected from various resources, such as phone interviews, videos, and reflection journals, as data/source triangulation. The data were then analyzed using a theoretical thematic analysis technique. The findings revealed that the participants had active participation and showed almost similar engagements in cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains during the online speaking course. However, the students also faced several challenges that inevitably affected their feelings. Few implications are also discussed pertaining to conduct English language teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multimodality refers to the blend of different symbol systems, like music and text, used in communication or behavior. Modality is how humans interact with the external environment, like objects, animals, or machines, through their senses, including sight, hearing, touch, and so on. Meaning is achieved by integrating multiple modalities. Through social use, all modalities become conventionalized, forming symbolic resources. All natural discourse is multimodal. Online dictionaries utilize new media devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. With the rapid development of network technology, online dictionaries are increasingly incorporating multimodal representations. In addition to providing textual definitions, examples, and other information, they are incorporating visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory elements, stimulating learners through multiple senses. This promotes the transition from binary reading to multi-modal reading comprehension. The Ministry of Education's 2020 revised "University English Teaching Guide" states that ESP (English for Specific Purposes) focuses on strengthening students' ability to communicate academically and professionally in English, thereby enhancing their academic and professional skills. "Medical English Listening and Speaking" is one of the foundational ESP courses in medical English and plays a vital role in language teaching. This paper aims to explore how multimodal representations in online dictionaries can be applied to medical English listening and speaking classroom instruction, drawing upon practical examples from Youdao Dictionary and Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (6th Edition).Teaching in Medical English Listening and Speaking courses is primarily divided into three modules: a vocabulary module as the foundation of language input, a listening video module for text input, and a translation or question-and-answer module emphasizing language output functions. The entire teaching process can be divided into pre-class vocabulary preparation, in-class listening input, and post-class translation or question-answer language output. Integrating the multimodal representations of online dictionaries with these three stages can facilitate the comprehensible input of language, leading to improved language output.

The Production-Oriented Approach (POA) to teaching Chinese as a foreign language in integrated courses focuses on language teaching around the language output, solving the problem of “separation of learning and use” in second language teaching; it is teacher-led and student-centered, allowing students to fully participate in teaching, cooperate with teaching, and gain something in the classroom. Teacher-led and student-centered, students can fully participate in teaching, cooperate with teaching, and gain something in class, as well as “evaluate” the effect and quality of teaching orally or in writing. The purpose is to overcome the Chinese foreign language teaching in the “learning and use of the separation” of the shortcomings, emphasizing the use of learning, using learning, learning while using, learning while using. At present, most of the research based on POA teaching method focuses on the field of grammar teaching, and the theory of POA is constantly improved in practice. Based on this, this paper takes the “output-oriented approach” as the theoretical framework, and puts forward the research objectives based on the experience of teaching adult classes in Cambodia, and explores the “ POA” teaching system through the design of teaching actions. Through the design of teaching actions, this paper explores the feasibility of integrating the “POA” teaching system with “Career+”, and examines the idea of adapting the teaching materials and how to take it forward.

Under the circumstances of “Curriculum ideological and political”, in order to adapt to the reform of college English teaching and the needs of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), as well as optimize the A-level distinguishable teaching mode of college English stratified teaching, this paper takes the fifth stage of “Production Oriented Approach” (POA) as the theoretical basis and completes a one-semester mixed teaching experiment for the Chinese culture translation section in New Horizon College English. Taking the paragraph translation of “Tai Chi” as an example, a detailed teaching design and implementation process were presented, attempting to construct a sustainable blended teaching model for the cultural translation section of college English. Quantitative and qualitative data statistics and analysis were used to evaluate and reflect on the effectiveness of teaching practice. The research results indicate that compared to traditional college English teaching, blended teaching model based on POA can enhance the English language and cultural output ability of A-level students. The mode is of sustainable value, which is beneficial to students understanding of Chinese culture, thereby enhancing their cultural confidence. In addition, this model can effectively enhance teachers’ ability to apply theoretical knowledge in blended teaching design, which has certain significance for the college English curriculum reform and the practice of “curriculum-based political and ideological education”.

With an eye to bringing the relatively mediocre state of Chinese university students in spoken English up to a higher level, POA (Production-Oriented Approach) is closely scrutinized to measure its effect on university students in spoken English. Steps of the study include: First, two groups of students are selected, each of which is taught with either POA or PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) in oral English lessons. Second, the level of these two groups of students is tested before and after the teaching program starts and finishes; the results of their spoken English are made into statistics and analyzed using SPSS17.0. The results are that POA and PPP performed almost equally well in improving students’ accuracy of spoken English. However, POA delivered an amazing job in improving the fluency and more advanced vocabularies were used instead of simple words that primary school pupil would use. It is thus safe to conclude that POA method is conducive in boosting students’ spoken English and it is of great importance to university spoken English teaching.

With the acceleration of globalization, English communicative competence has become a necessary ability in modern society. The teaching of English writing in junior high schools not only improves students’ comprehensive language ability, but also lays a favorable foundation for their future English learning. Writing classes should highlight the importance of writing. But in fact, students’ actual output is neglected. The writing classes exist in name only. Based on the above questions, this research attempts to apply the Production-Oriented Approach (POA) in junior high school English writing teaching which is proposed by Chinese scholar Wen Qiufang. This research aims to find the effectiveness of POA in English writing teaching of Chinese junior high schools. We adopt the experimental research approaches, using classroom observation, interviews and tests to collect research data. Taking a class of 50 students in Grade 8 of junior high school as the research subjects, the researcher carries out the production-oriented English teaching experiment for one semester. It has been found: (1) Compared with traditional English instructions, POA can improve the English writing quality and comprehensive language using ability of junior high school students. (2) Both teachers and students believe that POA can stimulate students’ positive emotional experience, and students have more opportunities to use language in class. Through “enabling”, the quality of students’ language output has been significantly improved.

This study aims to explore the effects of an English public speaking (EPS) course on Chinese EFL university students’ critical thinking dispositions (CTD) according to their proficiency levels. 115 freshmen from a university in China participated in this current study and they were randomly divided into one experimental group (n = 55) and one control group (n = 60). According to the scores of TOEIC listening, the participants were grouped into three proficiency levels - low-level, intermediate-level and high-level. During the sixteen-week treatment, the experimental group was required to take the EPS course while the control group took a traditional English speaking course. To confirm the effects of the EPS course, pre- and post-tests regarding the CTD were conducted. The results of the independent t-tests revealed that the EPS course had positive effects on enhancing the CTD of Chinese EFL students regardless of their English proficiency levels. The results of the one-way ANOVA demonstrated that students with higher proficiency levels improved more significantly regarding all the dimensions of CTD. Based on the results, several pedagogical implications are made.

The sudden shift of learning from traditional to online learning is worth noting once again. Students' learning engagement has always been a complicated thing to research but is worth mentioning and important for the educational department, especially in EFL countries. Students' learning engagement in online learning itself is an indicator in which students have in learning to achieve their goals. Empirically, there have been various studies of learning English listening and speaking and/or student engagement, however inadequate investigative attempts have concentrated on student engagement in academic listening and speaking skills, notably in the Indonesian higher education context and also in online learning. For this reason, the current study strives to delineate how students engage in the online learning of the Academic Listening and Speaking course. Besides, it also focuses on the factors affecting students' engagement in such an online course. With using thematic analysis, this qualitative study concluded that the students do engage in this online course as (1) cognitively engaged by understanding teaching materials and activities in the online ALS course, (2) emotionally engaged by enjoying classroom learning activities, and (3) behaviourally engaged by participating in a discussion, developing problem-solving skills, and applying online learning norms in the classroom. In addition, there are factors affecting students' engagement, including (1) social engagement of student and teacher rapport, (2) collaborative engagement of peer support, and (3) learning passions for Academic Listening and Speaking course.

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) includes traditional crafts, techniques, and knowledge systems that have been refined over generations. Many of these practices involve structured ways of working with materials, problem-solving, and iterative development, making them an important part of design education. However, integrating ICH into formal learning environments remains a challenge due to the lack of structured curricula, limited access to expert practitioners, and the need for scalable learning approaches. Digital learning platforms offer a way to address these challenges by providing structured and interactive learning experiences. This study explores how these platforms support ICH education by improving access to expert knowledge, engaging learners with heritage-based design concepts, and enhancing the overall learning experience. Through stakeholder interviews, learner surveys, and a simulated platform study, we examine key factors influencing the effectiveness of digital learning for ICH, including content organization, instructional methods, and learner engagement. The findings show that structured digital platforms help connect ICH inheritors with learners, making traditional knowledge more accessible and adaptable to different learning needs. Course structure, content clarity, and platform usability play an important role in maintaining learner interest and supporting engagement with ICH knowledge. The study also highlights how learner expectations and perceived learning value affect participation in ICH education. By analyzing how digital platforms can integrate ICH into design education, this study provides insights into improving learning outcomes and ensuring that traditional knowledge continues to contribute to creative and technical fields in a structured and accessible way.

The objective of this research is to explore how digital interactive platforms can assist companies in cultivating brand loyalty for their platforms. This study employs a quantitative approach, collecting a total of 310 questionnaires from PLN Mobile users, a platform operated by the largest electricity company in Indonesia. Respondents were selected using non-probability random sampling, and Structural Equation Modeling was employed as the analysis tool. The findings reveal that among the three multidimensional platform values (functional, cost, and contextual) only functional platform value lacks significant influence on perceived value. Additionally, within the context of PLN Mobile application users, service quality demonstrates a positive and significant direct influence on perceived value, platform brand image, and platform brand loyalty. Furthermore, perceived value exhibits a significant direct influence on continuance intention and platform brand image, although it does not significantly influence platform brand loyalty directly in this context. This research offers a new theoretical framework and managerial insights for value creation in digital interactive platforms. It contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating the relationships between various factors influencing brand loyalty in the context of digital platforms. The implications of the research findings on management and business practices are significant. Companies can utilize the insights provided by this research to enhance their digital platform offerings, improve customer satisfaction, and ultimately foster brand loyalty. Additionally, policymakers can use these findings to shape regulations and policies that promote innovation and competitiveness in the digital platform in service industry.