Translanguaging and identity preservation in English language learning: multilinguals’ voices from a Malaysian University

Examining the Effects of Academic English as a Second Language Pathways at the Community College: A Mixed Methods Study Olga Rodriguez Due in large part to their open access and affordability, community colleges have long played a central role in providing students with immigrant backgrounds who are English language learners (ELLs) with access to postsecondary education. Researchers have noted that English as a second language (ESL) courses have been the primary form of support provided by institutions to foster the college persistence and success of ELLs. Nevertheless, despite their importance, little is known about the extent to which participants who engage in postsecondary ESL programs are likely to succeed in college. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze quantitative administrative data and use qualitative data to examine how ELLs seeking postsecondary education acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to be successful in college programs. It does so by exploring the role of two ESL pathways at a Large Urban Community College System (LUCCS): (1) the English Language Immersion Program (ELIP) and (2) the traditional ESL sequence. In the quantitative phase of the study, I use a propensity score matching approach together with a large administrative dataset to examine the effects of ESL pathways on ELLs college English enrollment and performance, credit accumulation, and college progression and degree outcomes. I find no evidence that participation in ELIP versus traditional ESL leads to significant impacts on college English enrollment and performance within three and five years. I also find consistent evidence that students who participate in ELIP versus traditional ESL earn fewer college level credits, but they also earn significantly fewer equated credits over three and five years—suggesting they spend less time on remedial coursework. Results also indicate that ELIP participants are more likely to persist and less likely to drop out, but there is no effect on graduation and/or transfer within three and five years. Finally, results indicate that males, younger students (age 23 and younger), and foreign-born, U.S. educated (generation 1.5) students experience less negative impacts on college credits and more positive impacts on several of the longer term outcomes. Next, qualitative methods were used to help explain the quantitative results. In particular, interviews and focus groups were conducted to explore with program instructors, staff, and students’ their perceptions of their engagement in ELIP and traditional ESL and its respective role in students’ success in college programs. Findings suggest that null impacts on college English enrollment and performance could be explained by the finding that both ESL pathways emphasize the acquisition similar skills and employ parallel instructional approaches to help students acquire these skills. Findings also suggest that negative impacts on college credit completion may be due to the programs’ respective college enrollment experience. The structure and length of the traditional ESL sequence helps explain negative results for equated credits. Differences in persistence and drop out as well as differences for subgroups are found to be partially explained by the activities and interactions that are fostered by a high intensity program. This study provides suggestive evidence that the ESL pathway taken by degree-seeking students at LUCCS has important implications for their college outcomes. It also suggests that there exist heterogeneous impacts by gender, age, and immigrant status. ESL program staff and college administrators can use these findings to explore strategies that will better support ELL student success.

Much of the debate on the teaching and learning of English and academic writing occurs largely from Eurocentric or Western perspectives on local contexts. This paper explores the role of the local English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in transforming the way English for Academic Purposes is taught and learnt, particularly in higher education settings in Malaysia. In order to challenge Western notions, ESL teachers need to know their local contexts and students well enough in order to explain the complexities that arise within an education system that is continually shaped by historical and socio-political shifts in the country. The purpose of this paper is to inform ESL and academic writing teacher-researchers that it is possible to transform practice by paying close attention to the complexities of socio-cultural conditions. Using action research methodology, the case study presented here illuminates and exemplifies the recognition and explicit inclusion of socio-cultural conditions within academic literacies in a tertiary English language class for engineering, computing and business discipline students in a Malaysian university. Three narratives are critically selected using the Critical Incidents Technique and examined from a pool of qualitative data which comprised student letters, student interviews and teacher diaries. Green’s typology of operational, cultural and critical dimensions of literacy events is used to analyse how socio-cultural conditions within and beyond the classroom can affect the kinds of literacy which are identified by the teacher and used to improve student engagement and performance in the language besides enhancing the quality of teaching and learning academic writing. Findings reveal the need for greater leadership support for grass root level decision-making by the ESL teacher and a deeper understanding of the use of mediation as a tool to maximize social interaction. Even traditionally used teaching materials for language teaching can be brought into connection with broader genres and conceptual ideas by focusing on social interaction in classes. An extensive use of the English language through social interaction with explicit attention to social and cultural ESL contexts proves to be a highly significant means to aid the rapid development of students’ English language learning, so that students can be better prepared to meet global challenges.

Learning a language is not merely learning its grammar. There are some other factors which should be covered in language learning, e.g. language in use, or meaning and communication. In other words, L2 learners of English not only need to reach grammar competence, but also pragmatic competence. Unfortunately, pragmatic competence is rather neglected as language learning and teaching, most of the time, puts emphasis on grammar competence. Hence, in this paper, I would like to discuss the importance of integrating pragmatic competence, in this case, conversational implicature, in English language teaching and learning materials. A previous study, conducted by Manowong (2011), reported that non-native speakers of English have difficulty in interpreting conversational implicature. Thus, teachers should make great efforts to help the learners raise their conversational implicature awareness. One of the most effective ways to raise learners’ awareness on conversational implicature is by making use of authentic materials. Movies could be great sources to help learners raise their conversational implicature awareness. Therefore, in this paper, I would like to propose a model of materials which integrate some scenes of a movie that might be useful for teachers and learners in English language learning and teaching. Keywords: Raising pragmatics awareness, conversational implicature, movies

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) has constituted a major part of the curriculum in private and public institutions in Saudi Arabia for over eight decades. More recently, the emergence of English as a global language has made it a socially desirable language in Saudi society, as elsewhere in the world. However, despite the long history of English teaching in Saudi Arabia and the growth of the profession over the years, the overall English proficiency level of the majority of students is low and unsatisfactory. Saudi researchers have reported many reasons for the ineffectiveness of English Language Teaching (ELT) including, but not limited to, low levels of student motivation, negative attitudes toward English, a substandard English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum, and inefficient teacher pedagogical practices. These problems fall into two major categories: problems related to the lwhyr of teaching and learning of EFL, and problems related to the lhowr of teaching and learning EFL. In investigating these issues, much of this research has been carried out within individual/psychological/structuralist/positivist frameworks, which has failed not only to problematize the complexity of such constructs but also to appreciate the fact that all realities are produced/(re)produced via ldiscourser. Hence, the present study investigated EFL teaching and learning practices by employing Foucauldian and poststructuralist frameworks. This study used poststructuralism not only as a theoretical lens per se, but also established it through the implemented analytical tools and textual representations of the collected data. Employing a poststructuralist discursive perspective made it possible to view EFL teaching and learning as complex social practices, interacting with the discourses of English and ELT practices available in the global as well as the local context(s). These discourses create the nexus between power and knowledge and impact on what an EFL teacher/ learner does within a classroom setting by constructing perspectives of reality through which he or she comes to understand the EFL teaching and learning process in certain ways which constitute epistemological spaces and generate particular practices. Drawing on policy documents, EFL textbooks, classroom observations, interviews with two Saudi EFL teachers, and focus group discussions with Saudi EFL students in two rural areas, the study identified seven discourses circulating within and competing across the examined discursive spaces. The first three discourses are related to English and its values, including: English as a universal language; English as the language for better employment opportunities; and English as the language for spreading religion. The remaining four discourses centred around ELT with exams as an important aspect of EFL learning and ELT; CLT as the key to success in ELT; L1 as a barrier to successful EFL learning; and EFL textbooks as an essential aspect of the processes of EFL learning and ELT. In exploring the production and (re)production of these discourses through the examination of how visibilization, normalisation, exclusionary/inclusionary acts, classification, and subject positioning as discursive strategies are employed, it was found that whether a particular discourse was made visible or invisible depended on other discourses operating across the examined discursive spaces: the social context, the policy, the textbook, the classroom, and the teachers and students. The analysis of the connection(s) and misconnection(s) between these discursive spaces demonstrated that the interplay between the different discourses constructed discursive battlegrounds, which impacted the processes of EFL teaching and learning. Through the investigation of this interplay, it was found that there was a disconnect and an ambivalent relationship between the study participantsr espoused discourses of English and their EFL teaching and learning practices, suggesting that EFL teachers and learners should not be considered lstabler figures, but rather as social agents with discursively constructed ever changing subjectivities. Furthermore, the analyses of the constructions of the discourses operating within the examined policy texts demonstrate an intra disparity and fragmentation. This was manifested in the difference between the ideals of the EFL curriculum and the institutionally imposed regulating techniques, that is, examinations and teachersr assessment practices which had negative effects on EFL teaching and learning dynamics. Additionally, as a consequence of the competition between the different sources of discursive constructions, I found that there was a gulf between the EFL policies and the enactment of these policies in EFL teaching and learning dynamics in the observed EFL classrooms. The findings of this study also indicate that if a discourse promoted through the policy is mediated by discourses operating in the larger societal context, it became more visible in teaching and learning practices as compared to other discourses that did not have social moorings. This suggests that taking the prevailing social expectations into account at the stage of developing any policy is of paramount importance.nThe study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the interplay of connections and misconnections between competing discourses across different spaces in Saudi educational settings for improving the EFL teaching/learning environments in Saudi Arabia and other similar contexts.n

With the internationalisation of higher education in the past decade, there have been dramatic changes in the profiles of staff and students in UK universities. These changes have brought about an increasing trend in research on “international” students and teachers who are speakers of English as an additional language (EAL) especially in TESOL. Nevertheless, there are few studies into the experiences of the academic staff as speakers of EAL who are working at a UK university. Therefore, my doctoral research examined the linguistic, professional and intercultural experiences of fifteen bi/multi-lingual academics from different disciplines in the internationalising contexts of higher education in the UK, and in this paper, I present their language-related experiences and challenges; particularly their perceptions of being an EAL speaker in the past and during their current teaching in the UK. The participants were interviewed with a semi-structured format through a phenomenological research journey which I have undergone as a first-person experience philosophically and which also enabled me to explore the participants’ experience per se from their perspectives methodologically. First, their views on English language learning (ELL) experiences, “native” and “non-native-like” use of English and the positioning of their own language use will be explored through their linguistic background. This will help understand how their attitudes and previous language experiences affect their perceptions of being an EAL speaker and interactions with people. Lastly, expressing their views on ELL experiences, I will elucidate the problems which impacted their use of language and ways of communication with other people, and their teaching among a mixed group of students from different sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds like themselves. These people included students, staff and local people, be they ‘English as a first language’ speakers or EAL speakers. Academics’ accounts revealed that their previous experiences of ELL played an important role in the linguistic, socio-cultural, psychological, intellectual and academic aspects of their lives. Their lives were affected by the view of English as a matter of gaining prestige and status. The quality of the English language education in the country of origin was another factor affecting their lives. These factors caused some to feel the fear of not being able to learn English and the attrition of the proficiency in the mother tongue. The academics’ views (except for Paul) showed that “nativeness” is not an important factor which puts them at a disadvantage while communicating; in contrast, being an EAL speaker may be quite an advantage to establish rapport and empathy with the international students they teach. Further language-related issues were associated with familiarity with colloquial language and vocabulary use, expressing emotion, humour and identity in L2, having different cultural expectations about communication and meaning-making/ being (un)able to read between lines. All in all, this paper accounts for the reasons behind the participants’ language performance and provides insights into their experiences and encounters in the early part of their transition to the life and university teaching in the UK. Article visualizations:

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to give a descriptive account of the use of music therapy techniques on the English speaking and story retelling skills of Kindergarten students in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Nine students in a community based after-school ESL class and 9 students in a regular public school ESL class received music therapy sessions designed as supplemental teaching strategies in addition to their regular ESL classroom routines. Observers indicated that both groups performed well on story retelling skills and English speaking skills; although, the after-school ESL group performed better than the public school group. This study suggests that the community setting may be a more relaxed and less intimidating environment for young English learners. The majority of students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in the public schools in the United States are of Hispanic immigrants and this population is growing at an incredibly fast pace (Kochlar, Suro & Tafoya, 2005). It is estimated that a recent influx of between 11 and 20 million new immigrants of Hispanic heritage in the United States has added greatly to the numbers of in ESL classes in the public schools (Time Warner, 2006). The most recent increase in the Hispanic population has taken place in the southeastern region of the United States in six states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, thus becoming the new settlement areas for immigrants of Hispanic heritage. Fifteen years ago Latino youngsters accounted for only 1% of the school aged population in the southeastern region of the United States but by the year 2007-2008 these students will make up 10 percent of all the primary and secondary schools in these states. Having had just 184,000 Latino students enrolled in September 2001, these Southern states will have an estimated 571,000 Latino students by September 2007, an increase of 387,000 Latino students. To put this in perspective, consider that the four traditional settlement states of California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey had a vastly larger Hispanic school enrollment - 3.4 million in 2001 - but will add only another 535,000 Latino students by 2007 (Kochlar, Suro & Tafoya, 2005, p. 38). The impact of the Latino population growth on local schools is multiplied by three factors: Spanish is the only spoken in the students' homes, the students often present special needs for English instruction and since this population has emerged suddenly, many schools do not have the programs in place to deal with their needs (Wainer, 2004). These circumstances are compounded by the No Child Left Behind law which focuses almost solely on accountability to improve educational outcomes for all students, including historically low achieving and disabled students and those who are English Language Learners (ELLs), children who are learning English and for whom English is not their first language (Bankstreet, 2007, para 11). In fact, acquisition is critical for ESL students in order for them to achieve academic concepts and socially integrate with their peers (Brown, 2004; Schunk, 1999). Furthermore, many public schools expect students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) to become proficient in English within one year so they can join their native English speaking peers in regular academic classes. The assumption, however, that young can learn English within the span of one year is unrealistic as ELLs need an average of four to five years to achieve parity with native English speakers (MacSwan & Pray, 2005). Therefore, supplemental teaching strategies that engage Kindergarten students in active and passive learning activities which are interesting, enjoyable and inspire to initiate academic and social uses of the English are needed (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2006). …

This Spring 2016 issue of the Annals is the second in a twopart special issue on d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) individuals with diverse characteristics, edited by Joanna Cannon and Caroline Guardino. The present issue's editors and contributors seem to prefer the label DML, or d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners, as one that is becoming more applicable to the education of an increasing number of d/Dhh students in America. From one perspective, the label DML is representative of students in American schools for whom English is not the primary or home language. In essence, these students and families might have immigrated to the United States and, thus, are in multilingual situations (see, e.g., the discussion in Cannon & Guardino, 2012).As noted by Cannon, Guardino, and Gallimore (this issue), this broad cohort of students represents one of the fastest-growing groups in schools. As was the case for Part I of this special issue (Guardino & Cannon, 2015), a few of the major domains discussed in Part II are definitions and characteristics (Cannon, Guardino, & Gallimore; Pizzo); early intervention and the transition to preschool (Bowen); various aspects of communication, language, and culture (Baker & Scott; Pizzo; Q. Wang, Andrews, H. T. Liu, & C. J. Liu); assessment (Pizzo & Chilvers); and teacher preparation (Cannon & Luckner).Per my propensity, I select and expound on a few areas of personal interest in this editorial, albeit this approach cannot do justice to the nuanced, detailed treatments proffered by the contributors. Let the reader be reminded-and repeated reminders are necessary-that any discussion of a topic in our field is filtered through my mental framework(s) associated with one of my few broad domains of research interest-English literacy. Although this focus might be characterized as limited, myopic, or narrow-minded by other scholars interested in examining and developing effective educational programs for DMLs, I am not above the need for cognitive contamination (Berger & Zijderveld, 2009). Nevertheless, regardless of the contents of academic debates, I cannot shake off the conviction that all roads must lead to the acquisition and development of English, at least in the education of all students in the United States, including those who are DMLs. If this trip is to be successful, then theorists, researchers, and educators need to be aware of the complex linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural needs of children who are attempting to learn English as a first or second language, or even one of several languages.The Persistent Terminology RiddleIf you thought that the definition/terminology issue was nothing short of a nightmare in Part I of this special issue, then you should experience countless sleepless nights after reading Part II (see, e.g., Cannon & Guardino; Cannon et al.; Pizzo). Perhaps we can sweep the term English Language Learner (ELL) or English as a Second Language (ESL) learner under the rug-especially if it is agreed that these terms are archaic and do not reflect the range of needs of learners beyond the learning of English. However, do not be surprised if ELL or ESL continues to emerge into full view every now and then in the research literature, or even during face-to-face academic dialogues. English may indeed be the second language for a growing number of students in America (see, e.g., Baker & Scott), or it could also be the third language (and so on) for a number of students-nevertheless, the acquisition of English and its subsequent effects on academic achievement and transitions into postsecondary or work-force avenues in the United States is or should be front and center.It might be more reflective of the current situation if we settle on DML, DLL (Dual Language Learner), or EL (English Learner). One or more of the above labels might be most appropriate, assuming that we have a clear picture of proficiency in a language or languages in the home and at school (which we do not). …

Errors analysis has become one of the most interesting issues in the study of Second Language Acquisition. It can not be denied that some teachers do not know a lot about error analysis and related theories of how L1, L2 or foreign language acquired. In addition, the students often feel upset since they find a gap between themselves and the teachers for the errors the students make and the teachers’ understanding about the error correction. The present research aims to investigate what errors adult English learners make in written production of English. The significances of the study is to know what errors students make in writing that the teachers can find solution to the errors the students make for a better English language teaching and learning especially in teaching English for adults. The study employed qualitative method. The research was undertaken at an airline education center in Bandung. The result showed that syntax errors are more frequently found than morphology errors, especially in terms of verb phrase errors. It is recommended that it is important for teacher to know the theory of second language acquisition in order to know how the students learn and produce theirlanguage. In addition, it will be advantages for teachers if they know what errors students frequently make in their learning, so that the teachers can give solution to the students for a better English language learning achievement. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2015.180205

Author’s Introduction This Teaching and Learning Guide is intended to provide instructors of courses in Sociolinguistics some guidance in incorporating the topic of multilingualism in educational contexts into their syllabi. Although schools the world over are increasingly serving multilingual populations, awareness of this reality has not, in many cases, sifted through to public consciousness, and incorporation of this topic into the sociolinguistic curriculum is a crucial step in addressing this gap in awareness. The incidence of multilingualism in educational contexts has increased greatly in the last few decades in a number of critical ways. First, while multilingualism has long been the norm in educational settings in places such as India and some countries of Africa, widespread multilingualism has only recently begun to be seen as a factor in education in many parts of the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Second, in addition to there being more regions of the world that have multilingual populations of schoolchildren, the demographics of these populations are also changing. There are increasing numbers of middle class professionals moving to countries in which immigrants were previously overwhelmingly citizens of poor countries who came to work unskilled jobs. Third, not only have different patterns of immigration led to a broader range of regions and social groups becoming multilingual, but the ability to speak more than one language is increasingly seen as desirable for those who stay put. Bilingual education or intensive language study for the children of majority language populations is gaining popularity in Europe, the United States, and Asia. What this amounts to is that multilingualism in schools is becoming more common, and the situations in which it occurs are as varied as the languages involved. This article addresses the social issues of language ideologies and identity construction in this context. Key readings Caldas‐Coulthard, Carmnen Rosa and Amelia Maria Fernandes Alves. 2008. ‘Mongrel selves’: identity change, displacement and multi‐positioning. Identity trouble: critical discourses and contested identities , ed. by Carmen Rosa Caldas‐Coulthard and Rick Iedema, 120–42. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. This article offers an important viewpoint about the idea of the ‘third space’ created by bicultural and bilingual speakers and immigrants in particular. The authors note that people in the ‘third space’ are positioned this way, by themselves and others, because they are often not viewed as full members of their adopted culture and as émigrés are seen as no longer belonging in their culture of origin. This is a highly relevant aspect of multilingualism in all contexts. Cummins, Jim. 2001. Negotiating identities: education for empowerment in a diverse society (2nd edition). Los Angeles, CA: California Association for Bilingual Education. Chapter 1: Identities and Empowerment. The lasting message of this chapter is that educators are not trapped within discriminatory frameworks, but have the power to shape their students’ experiences. This text is based on the idea (pervasive in the social sciences) that ideologies and identities are constructed, and that this theoretical position can be applied in classroom contexts to enact change in educational practices. De Meija, Anne‐Marie. 2002. Power, prestige and bilingualism: international perspectives on elite bilingual education . Chapter 4: Teaching and learning in elite bilingual classrooms . Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. De Meija provides a clear defense of the use of bilingual discourse in the classroom for both teachers and students. The position here flies in the face of the implicit position of ‘bilingualism through monolingualism’ which is often the philosophy in multilingual educational settings, that is, that languages should remain strictly separate and speakers should act like monolinguals in each language. De Meija endorses the use of two languages as a linguistic strategy for teaching and learning. Fitts, Shanan. 2006. Reconstructing the status quo: linguistic interaction in a dual‐language school. Bilingual Research Journal 29.337–65. This article addresses how language ideologies are tacit in institutional structure and how students and teachers conform to, and occasionally resist, the hegemony of normative monolingualism. For example, although the school is intended to create a bilingual student body, the children are at times asked to identify their (one) native language, and ‘bilingual’ becomes code for ‘Latino/a’. Further, bilingualism is assumed to be enacted by speaking one language at a time, thus negating the importance of mixed language speech in identity construction. Heller, Monica. 1999. Linguistic minorities and modernity: a sociolinguistic ethnography . Chapter 4: Being bilingual . New York, NY: Longman. This chapter of the ethnography of a French‐language school in Toronto, Ontario, discusses the linguistic behavior of different segments of the student population, vividly portraying the how the uses and statuses of English and different varieties of French are used by the students not just to construct their own social identities but to promote and resist specific language ideologies. Although proficiency in French is necessary to be successful, it is only a particular kind of French which gives a speaker access to cultural capital and academic success. Links http://www.unavarra.es/tel2l/eng/MBELinks.htm Tel2l stand for Teacher Education by Learning in 2 Languages, and this site includes an introduction to the basics of bilingual education as well as overviews of bilingual programs in the U.S.A., Canada, Germany, France, England, Wales, and Luxemburg. http://www.cal.org/index.html The Center for Applied Linguistics website with links to pages on English Language Learners, including but not limited to a page on two‐way immersion in the United States ( http://www.cal.org/jsp/TWI/SchoolListings.jsp ) http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice This site is for ‘the information network about education in Europe’, and has links to various reports about education, including such things as ‘Integrating Immigrant Children Into Schools in Europe’ and ‘Content and Integrated Learning at Schools in Europe’ (this deals with teaching certain subjects in a foreign language, called Bilingualer Fachsachunterricht in German). http://www.thomasandcollier.com/index.htm This link provides access to research by Wayne Thomas and Virginia Collier on educational issues, including bilingual education, in the United States. http://www.id21.org/insights/insights‐ed05/insightsEdn5.pdf

Teaching children who come from language backgrounds other than English is increasingly common both in the UK and globally. The changing nature of 21st century migration, and the flight of refugees from areas of conflict, has impacted profoundly on schools, both urban and rural, and in ways not seen in earlier decades. Thus, those of you setting out on your teaching careers are very likely to need to understand what effective pedagogy for teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) might look like. Central this is knowing that success in English literacy for children with English as an additional language (EAL) is inextricably tied up with their understanding and use of spoken English. With this in mind, in this chapter I focus on: stages of children’s proficiency in English; some theory that relates to these; and how teachers can take account of children’s funds of knowledge about language and literacy in planning engaging classroom activities. During the chapter reference is made to two research projects which have explored teachers’ responses to Polish children, and to a set of case studies where teachers explored their teaching for their ELLs, so that discussion has a real classroom context. In this chapter the term EAL (English as an additional language) is used because this is the convention in UK classrooms. However I also use the term ELLs (English Language Learners) which is common among practitioners in the US and elsewhere. The term ELLs is useful because it encourages us to think positively of our children as speakers of other languages who happen to be learning English. I use the term ‘linguistically responsive teacher’ (Lucas, Villegas, & Freedson-Gonzalez, 2008) to describe practitioners who aspire to teach their ELLs successfully.

For nearly a century, English language has consistently remained a global phenomenon with a continued business relevance; the mandatory inclusion of English Language Learning (ELL) in Asian, African and other non-native English-speaking countries is proof of the same. Consequently, research about English as a Foreign Language (EFL) has continued too. Despite ample empirical studies in the past that have examined the role of culture, linguistics, technology or digital tools in EFL, there are limited studied that holistically investigate and review the learning and successful implementation of EFL and its influencing factors. The current study is an attempt to systematically synthesize the findings from empirical studies undertaken between early 2000 and 2024 in the domains of EFL and ELL for a sample of 53 journal articles. The research also aims to draw a scientific relationship between the most relevant concepts surrounding ELL and EFL. To achieve this, the study conducted a systematic literature review coupled with Bibliometric mapping analysis. The study concluded that the upward surge of technological advancements and World Wide Web has transformed learning EFL. Cultural diversity, and technological or digital tools are key influencing factors and innovative teaching/learning pedagogies in EFL and ELL that can enhance the success rates in EFL and ELL in non-native English-speaking countries.

The level of awareness of the importance of mastering ESL among the local community is poor, particularly in rural areas. A study was conducted to gather information from English as a Second Language (ESL) learners pertaining to the impediments of English Language learning (ELL) by specifically focusing on the four language skills namely listening, speaking, reading and writing. The study involved 30 Intermediate Year 5 pupils from a rural primary school. The method involved the use of note books as the medium for the learners to channel various problems which they feel hinder the effectiveness of their ESL learning in the four language skills. The pupils were also asked to suggest ways they think these problems can be solved by themselves, their ESL teachers and their fellow ESL peers. The analysis revealed varying viewpoints on the contributing factors that trigger various problems in learning the four skills as well as measures for mutual language improvement among them. It is hoped that ESL educators, particularly in rural areas will place importance on the various impediments which their ESL learners face and strive to make their learners’ ELL more effective and meaningful. Keywords : ESL, ELL, note books, impediments, language skills

The emergence of Edtech apps has contributed to the quality of education in general and English language teaching and learning in specific. With the help of Edtech Apps, learners can experience the real world easily and be motivated in learning. Nevertheless, the proliferation of Edtech Apps varies from one context to another. This mixed methods study aims at exploring the utilisation of Edtech apps in English language learning (ELL) from the learners’ perspectives. A group of 122 English as a foreign language (EFL) students from a high school in Vietnam partook in answering the closed-ended questionnaire and fifteen of them taking part in the semi-structured interview. Two types of data, namely quantitative and qualitative data, were generated. The former was processed using the SPSS software, while the latter was analysed thematically. The findings unravelled that EFL students had positive attitudes towards the deployment of Edtech Apps in ELL, and they believed that Edtech Apps in ELL were useful, easy for use, and motivating. The study also highlights some pedagogical implications to leverage the quality of English language teaching and learning.

This study analyzed adult learners’ motivation in learning English from two diametrically different paradigms viz., the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) from Saudi Arabia and the ESL (English as a Second Language) from Pakistan. The quantitative tool of the 20-items questionnaire administered at 100 EFL learners and 100 ESL learners helped find out the factors impacting the adult learners’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation resulting in their being amotivated, unmotivated, and highly motivated English language learners. The major findings are that the learners in both the EFL and the ESL contexts were found intrinsically motivated to learn the English language. However, the Saudi EFL students, unlike ESL learners, lacked extrinsic motivation due to i) lack of an environment conducive for English language learning and ii) social disapproval of the English language learning. The extrinsic factors lacking for ESL learners in Pakistan are the provision of highly motivated and trained teachers, well-equipped classrooms, financial rewards, and a conducive learning environment in the institutions. Based on the findings, the study recommends that teachers must be trained to involve the intrinsically motivated students in challenging and encouraging activities. The teachers engaged in teaching to Saudi EFL learners need to exert more to create an excellent learning environment in their class to motivate and encourage their students towards learning of the English language, and to waive off the negative impact of social disapproval of the language outside the classroom.

Video-mediated teacher collaborative inquiry: Focus on English language learners Laura Baecher, Ph.D. , Sarah Rorimer, and Leonore Smith Introduction High school teachers today work in challenging, high-accountability instructional environments (Giles & Hargreaves, 2006), striving to meet the needs of upwards of 100 learners per day. Rapidly growing numbers of English-language learners (ELLs) in U.S. classrooms have added to these pressures. Rather than using collaborative structures to face these challenges, the structure of departmentalization too often results in content-area high school teachers working in isolation from one another (Grossman, Wineburg & Woolworth, 2001; McLaughlin & Talbert, 2001). This means that English as a Second Language (ESL) specialists, as well as other teachers of ELLs, have few if any formal structures for peer interaction across disciplines. Professional development for ELLs, when available, is still too frequently delivered in decontextualized, “one-off” sessions with little follow-up (Gándara, Maxwell-Jolly, & Driscoll, 2005). This conflicts with the literature on best practices in professional development, which has shown, instead, how it should (1) parallel local initiatives, standards, and teachers’ own professional goals; (2) focus on the content and methods teachers use in their classrooms; (3) be sustained over time; (4) occur on-site in schools and/or in teachers’ own classrooms; (5) involve collective participation of peers and colleagues; and (6) provide numerous opportunities for active learning (Ballantyne, Sanderman & Levy, 2008; DuFour, Eaker & DuFour, 2005; Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman & Yoon, 2001; González & Darling-Hammond, 1997; Merriam & Caffarella, 1998; Wenger, 1999). Aligned with these conditions of high quality, meaningful professional learning, a teacher educator, alongside content and ESL teachers at one urban high school, came together in a collaborative inquiry cycle to explore ways of improving their ELL instruction. The intent of this paper is to share outcomes of this teacher-led collaboration, which combined two powerful tools in professional learning–teacher-collaborative inquiry and video analysis of teaching–as a means to focus teachers across content areas on ELL pedagogy. Review of Literature Teacher preparation for ELL instruction Growing consensus in the study of effective instructional practices for ELLs suggests that content teachers who are highly effective in teaching ELLs possess dispositions, skills and [End Page 49] knowledge that enable them to meet both the content-area learning needs as well as the language development needs of their ELL students. This expertise is more specialized than “just good teaching” (deJong & Harper, 2005; Faltis, Arias & Ramírez-Marín, 2010; Fradd & Lee, 1998). Teachers need to reference both content knowledge of their subject area (e.g. mathematics, science, literature) as well as their pedagogical knowledge (e.g., of classrooms and learner behavior) to develop their pedagogical content knowledge (Ball & McDiarmid, 1990; Cochran, 1993; Freeman & Johnson, 1998). Lucas and Villegas (2011) identified key knowledge, dispositions, and skills of this pedagogical content knowledge base for mainstream teacher preparation for ELLs such as an understanding of the processes of second language acquisition, the recognition of the role of language in completing academic tasks, and scaffolding instruction to provide access to content-area learning. Despite this evidence, and their large and growing population, most ELLs do not receive instruction from teachers who have been prepared to support their needs (Gándara, Maxwell-Jolly, & Rumberger, 2008; Menken & Antunez, 2001). On-the-job professional development targeted for ELLs also falls short. A study conducted by Gándara, Maxwell-Jolly, and Driscoll (2005), with more than 5,000 California teachers, showed that 43% of teachers with 50% or more ELLs had received no more than one in-service workshop on the instruction of ELLs. Another important finding from this research was that when they did occur, these professional development workshops on ELLs were frequently of poor quality. Teachers surveyed cited the lack of presenter experience with ELLs and lack of follow-up as major concerns. The departmentalization of secondary schools is another factor that may prohibit opportunities for professional learning about ELL instruction, as content teachers have limited interaction with ESL teachers. Although schools are mandated to provide ESL instruction to their ELLs, content and ESL teachers usually do not coordinate instructional planning. Research on the instructional planning and teaching that occurs between ESL and classroom teachers has shown...