English As A Second Language Classroom Research Articles

ESL Students’ Evaluation of Online Information in Academic English Reading Classrooms

In English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom context, the Internet is also part of the learning repertoire as students often refer to online sources to fulfil their academic needs. However, despite the common assumption that the current students are ‘digital natives’, past studies have revealed that Malaysian undergraduates struggled to evaluate the credibility of online information when accessing online reading materials. In fact, it was reported that the execution of information literacy education in Malaysia continues to be a challenge and requires further research. Such revelation points to the current dilemma of the students not possessing the appropriate skills needed as tertiary learners. As such skill is paramount to help them complete their academic reading tasks, the students’ understanding of credible Internet sources is therefore worth investigating. To investigate the undergraduates’ online reading practices in the Malaysian ESL classroom, data was obtained from two local public universities in the Southern state of Malaysia. The quantitative data from the activities conducted suggests that the participants possess limited ability in evaluating the accuracy of online information. Qualitative data from the semi-structured interviews and classroom observations meanwhile provides the evidence of the students’ lack of skills in online information evaluation and their lack of interest to participate in the activities. The findings address the growing concern regarding the need to improve the undergraduates’ competence in assessing the trustworthiness of online sources.

Translanguaging in multilingual third grade ESL classrooms in Mindanao, Philippines

ABSTRACTWith the present implementation of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in the Philippines, this study investigated the language practices of teachers and learners (collectively ‘participants’) in the teaching and learning of English as a second language (ESL) in two Third Grade classrooms in a multilingual city in the Philippines. Using qualitative measures (classroom observations, semi-structured interviews), this study primarily found that the participants used language practices, which this study argues should be subsumed under translanguaging, either explicitly or implicitly, to mediate their communicative functions that are crucial in ESL classrooms. Through translanguaging, the teachers were able to present their lessons, conduct classroom discussions, enhance students’ understanding, and manage student behaviour more effectively and efficiently; and the students, in turn, were able to participate in classroom discussions and substantively demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. This study posits that multilingual teachers and learners utilise their language practices in the classroom to enhance meaning amongst themselves and between them and their tasks. This study further argues that since translanguaging is demonstrated by the participants as their inherent practice as multilinguals, it can be better understood when viewed from the perspective of multilingualism.

National reproduction in national claims: A case study of discursive power in an adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom setting

While the language education scholarship has embraced transnational perspectives, classroom discourse at the practitioner level arguably remains locked within a national paradigm. This study serves to bridge this disconnect between academic and folk perspectives on nationalism by developing an empirical account of how adult participants in a single ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom determine the legitimacy of national claims during instructional talk. Grounded in theories of discursive nationalism, a coding analysis of primary (e.g., classroom discourse) and secondary (e.g., group discussions, interviews, observations, and member checks) data sets identifies the discursive components by which participants collectively (de)legitimize claims about nations. This systematic account can guide transformative discussions of how to reconfigure language classroom discourse according to a transnational framework that empowers learner cultural and linguistic practices.

The essence of English Literature in communicative based ESL classrooms

This study is a depiction and portrayal of the views of Namibian Grade 11 and 12 teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) on the use of English literature in ESL classrooms. The study also presents the rationale and conceptualisation underlying the significance of the use of English literature in the quest to improve English proficiency levels of students. The study was premised on a Humanistic Communicative Approach which is anchored in the Learner Centered Philosophy; a vanguard of Namibia’s epistemology for language learning and teaching. A questionnaire that contained both qualitative and quantitative items was used to gather data. The respondents in general agreed that the study of literature could be used to enhance learner proficiency in the ESL classroom. They agreed that the benefits of literature in an ESL classroom are multidimensional. These benefits include among others; attainment of pragmatic skills, grammar and vocabulary expansion, extensive reading motivation, intercultural awareness, language skills and critical thinking skills.

A Resource-Oriented Functional Approach to English Language Learning

This article reports on a case study that investigates the learning preferences and strategies of Chinese students learning English as a second language (ESL) in Canadian school settings. It focuses on the interaction between second language (L2) learning methods that the students have adopted from their previous learning experience in China and ESL instruction they have encountered in the North American classroom. Twenty Grade 9–10 Chinese immigrant students in a Canadian urban public high school participated in the study. Data derived from questionnaires and interviews show that the students pragmatically searched for strategies to optimize their English learning by taking advantage of their first language skills and available scaffolding. In particular, they considered the explicit strategies they had experienced in first language (L1) and English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction before their arrival in North America to be valuable. This article proposes a resource-oriented functional approach to teaching and learning ESL. To that end, it argues that language-teaching strategies often used in North American ESL classrooms can integrate more explicit teaching and learning strategies to help students, particularly those with beginner levels of English proficiency, to acquire vocabulary more effectively.

Incorporating Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) Questions in ESL Classroom Contexts

Malaysia is preparing to face 21st century learning challenges in order to fulfill the global needs. As a result, Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) have been introduced in the education system with the purpose to produce critical students who are able to compete at the international arena. Thus, this study investigated the question types used by teachers of English as a second language (ESL). Besides, this study also examined the challenges faced by the teachers in incorporating HOTS element in their teaching. The data for this study were gathered by means of class observations, interviews and questionnaires. The data collected by means of classroom observation and interviews were analysed thematically whilst the questionnaire data were analysed using descriptive statistic method. The findings of this study reveal that ESL teachers favour display questions or LOTS compared to referential questions, HOTS. This is due to lack of knowledge regarding HOTS questions and students' English low proficiency level. This study, therefore, recommends that ESL teachers are in need of adequate training on HOTS before they can successfully implement HOTS in language classrooms and further relevant studies should focus on the ways in which HOTS can be incorporated in ESL classrooms.

Pronunciation Research in the Malaysian Context: A Systematic Review

This paper presents the current evidence with regard to English pronunciation teaching and learning in the Malaysian context. A systematic literature review (SLR) of empirical studies was conducted with a focus on examining the degree to which pronunciation research is conducted in the context of English as a second language (ESL) in Malaysia. Results showed that teachers’ and learners’ beliefs are critical factors that may improve or impede the pronunciation instruction of the target language. In addition, there are also some criteria that need to be considered in order to ensure the effectiveness of pronunciation teaching for ESL learners. The issue of whether or not Received Pronunciation (RP) can be adopted as the pronunciation model in the Malaysian education system should also be addressed appropriately. These results are significant because they call for a reevaluation of pronunciation instruction in Malaysia. Finally, the findings of this SLR uncovered one of the real challenges in English language teaching, which is to bridge the gap between theory and practice, given the disconnection between research-based models and the actual practices in the ESL classroom

The Speech Act of Request in the ESL Classroom

The Malaysian education system is at a time where effective classroom communication is seen as a vital step in enhancing the teaching and learning of English as a Second Language (ESL). Rural secondary school students in Malaysia seem to be unaware of their level of politeness when communicating in English. This study of the speech act of request which is related to the field of pragmatics and classroom culture, can be beneficial in understanding how students perceive polite interaction when speaking English. This ongoing study aims to identify the types of requeststrategies employed by the participants in making requests and explore the factors influencing their choice of strategies. The participants of the study are students and two language teachers of a rural secondary school in Kedah. Data collection was done by first recording naturally occurring data in the classroom. The data is then analysed based on Blum-Kulka and Olshstain’s (1984) CCSARP framework and Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory. Subsequently, participants identified are administered the Discourse Completion Tests (DCT). Preliminary findings show that students seem to be less polite when speaking to peers and more polite when speaking to teachers. Teachers, on the other hand, speak less politely to students as they have more power. This study provides valuable insights to the study of classroom pragmatics in Malaysia and future research should be conducted in urban school settings to gain more comprehensive data in this area of study. Keywords: politeness; speech acts; requests; face threatening act (FTA); pragmatics

Teachers’ Experience in Curriculum Implementation: An Investigation on English Language Teaching in Vocational Colleges in Malaysia

This qualitative research aimed to explore teachers’ experience in the implementation of the new English language curriculum in Malaysian vocational colleges. The research’s focus is on English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers’ perceptions on the new English language curriculum and its implementation, ESL teachers’ strategies in implementing the new English language curriculum, and the problems and challenges that they face in implementing the new English language curriculum. A full qualitative research paradigm was employed using a phenomenology design, where 6 ESL teachers from Negeri Sembilan participated to share their insights on the research topic. The research used purposive sampling method, and the participants were selected based on research location. The research instrument used to collect the data was a semi-structured interview administered via Facebook video call and recorded with Callnote application software. This approach was chosen for its feasibility and cost-saving nature. Research findings show that ESL teachers are receptive of the curriculum change and most of them understand the new curriculum well. They have positive feelings towards it despite acknowledging negative curriculum aspects, having curriculum concerns and dealing with problems and challenges. Teachers recommended for proper training and support in order to improve the teaching and learning process in ESL classroom. The implications of the research findings have been outlined and highlighted, followed by several suggestions for the stakeholders involved, including ESL teachers, policymakers, training division, and vocational college administrators.

The CEFR Rating Scale Functioning: An Empirical Study on Self- and Peer Assessments

One of the criticisms on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) rating scales pertains to the lack of reference to the performance of learners in the construction process of the scales. Therefore, this study attempted to delve into rating scale functioning by English as a Second Language (ESL) learners during self-assessment and peer assessment of their oral proficiency practice. Two objectives guided the study: 1) to gauge the overall rating scale functioning and 2) to measure each criterion scaling structure. Three self- and peer assessments’ cycles were conducted in three months. In each cycle, eleven learners recorded their own speech, uploaded their video clips to a private YouTube channel and assessed their own videos as well as selected peers based on five CEFR oral assessment criteria with six levels of ratings (A1-C2). Findings revealed that four of the CEFR levels were utilised (B1-C2). Categories A1 and A2 (basic user level) however, were not observed during the practice. Analysis from the Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM) indicated that utilised categories seemed to function usefully since each category observed was advancing by more than 1.4 logits. Category B2 dominated four criteria of ratings awarded while B1 dominated the rating distribution for fluency. The implications of this study will be discussed in relation to rating scale development, specifically on matching learners’ proficiency to the psychometrically developed rating criteria as well as illustrating assessment as learning approach in the ESL classroom where learners become the key assessors for their own performance.

TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE ON THE READING BEHAVIOUR OF PRIMARY ESL LEARNERS IN SJKC CHUNG HUA SEMERA SARAWAK

This study attempts to investigate the reading behaviour of primary ESL (English as a Second Language) learners in SJKC Chung Hua Semera Sarawak through the perspective of their teachers in the ESL classroom. To acquire this, interviews were carried out with the teachers to collect qualitative data. A total of 3 ESL teachers were selected from the school to participate in this study. The analysis of the data reveals that majority of the ESL learners spent most of their time reading by skimming and scanning, identifying keywords, applying one-time reading, non-linear reading, and reading selectively. On the contrary, the ESL learners spent less time reading expansively and comprehensively. Since the English language is the learners’ second or third language, they lack confidence and motivation as they face various hindrances in fully understanding and interpreting information in this language. The findings of this study intend to provide a springboard for further researches on the approaches to enhance ESL reading skills. Instructional implications are also discussed.

Learning English bare singulars: Data in the L2 classroom

Contrasted with the more typical English bare noun forms of mass and proper nouns, bare singular count nouns comprise a problematic set for many descriptive grammars and thus for many second language learners. Although article usage is one of the trickiest areas of English as a Second Language (ESL) to master, bare noun phrases, and bare singulars in particular, are less emphasized in the English language classroom, where much of the focus is placed on learning to produce articles, not learning to exclude them. To investigate L2 sensitivity to bare singular forms, the distribution of bare and articulated NPs in corpus data is contrasted, nouns appearing most often without articles are tracked, and a survey of L2 grammaticality judgments by adult learners is gathered. Lastly, the combined results of the corpus and survey data are integrated into a lesson on the syntax and pragmatics of bare singular count nouns that is designed for the ESL classroom.

Technology in Teaching English Language Learners: The Case of Three Middle School Teachers

This study looks at how three middle school teachers of English as a second language (ESL) use technology in the classroom. Technology use in the ESL classroom has the potential of supporting the English and content learning of English language learners, but the availability of technology does not necessarily lead to technology integration that supports student learning. Teacher attitudes and beliefs toward technology as well as lack of time and adequate resources may deter teachers from integrating technology in their lessons. The researcher conducted teacher interviews and classroom observations of each of the language arts classes taught by three ESL teachers. Available technology at the classroom, ESL department, and school levels was diverse: digital boards, overhead projectors for the digital boards, document cameras, laptops, desktops, iPods, iPads, and internet connection for all the devices. The teachers seemed to be comfortable users of the available technology despite scarce training, lack of time and technology support, and several episodes of technology malfunction. However, the use of technology could be expanded. The researcher makes several recommendations, such as additional time for planning lessons that use technology and further professional development related to technology use.

Brainstorming as a Way to Approach Student-centered Learning in the ESL Classroom

Student-Centred Learning (SCL) encourages students to take an active role in the learning process. Brainstorming is one of the ways to approach SCL because it is an open sharing activity, which is usually conducted in small groups to encourage participation. However, students are often reluctant to speak voluntarily in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. This study explores the use of brainstorming activities to promote speaking engagement in the ESL classroom. 321 Form Four students from an urban secondary school in Kuching participated in the study. The purpose of the study was to explore the types of brainstorming activities used and how brainstorming was employed to promote SCL. The data were obtained through questionnaires completed by the students, interviews with three English teachers, as well as through classroom observations during the brainstorming sessions. The findings show that brainstorming activities using word lists, word mapping, and also pictures are commonly utilized in the speaking tasks. It was observed that brainstorming contributes to the increase in students’ motivation, confidence, and participation as reflected by the positive students’ behaviour during classroom observations. The findings are consistent with the studies by Slavin (1995) and Hamzah and Lu (2010), who found that students were more confident and motivated to express their ideas when brainstorming in small groups. Accordingly, the findings support Cullen's (1998) belief that brainstorming activities encourage students to become better learners, especially when low proficiency students can learn from the better ones. This study not only sheds light on the use of brainstorming to address students’ reluctance to speak English more voluntarily, but also provides useful insights for teachers to deal with the reluctance to speak in the ESL classroom.

More Than a Word Cloud

Word cloud generating applications were originally designed to add visual attractiveness to posters, websites, slide show presentations, and the like. They can also be an effective tool in reading and writing classes in English as a second language (ESL) for all levels of English proficiency. They can reduce reading time and help to improve writing skills and vocabulary comprehension. They can also be used to address elements of rhetoric in students’ essays and instructors’ assignment descriptions and syllabi. Word clouds can be used as a visual aid to present new vocabulary and a study tool for quizzes. Most applications work with printed and online texts and students’ authentic writing. They find corpus vocabulary in texts and use it to create word clouds. Knowing key words helps students understand and summarize the texts they read. When students determine which words they use most often in their writing, they are advised to learn the spelling and collocations of those words, find synonyms to avoid repetition, and use word maps to create a particular tone of voice to sound (for example) humorous or sad. This article introduces word cloud generators, which are free, user-friendly online tools that can be easily incorporated into ESL classroom activities to enhance student learning experience.

Responding artfully to student-initiated departures in the adult ESL classroom

Teachers constantly endeavor to strike a balance between the arguably competing tasks of maintaining control on the one hand and encouraging student participation on the other (Paoletti & Fele, 2004). How precisely such a balance is accomplished, however, remains largely a mystery. Based on videotaped data from the adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom, we describe two teacher practices for responding to student-initiated departures, where teacher control is maintained in the service of participation and learning. Findings of this conversation analytic study contribute to a growing understanding of how certain learner contributions in the language classroom may be tactfully and efficiently handled while offering increasing specificity for strengthening the foundations of language teacher education.

Pre-Service and In-Service English as a Second Language Teachers’ Beliefs about the Use of Digital Technology in the Classroom

<p><em>It has been long accepted that teachers’ beliefs guide their classroom practices (Borg, 2006; Fang, 1996; Pajares, 1992; Woods, 1996). Yet, in the current high-tech age and with the push by mainstream education to incorporate technology in language teaching, little is known about what teachers think and feel about technology integration. Using Borg’s (2006) framework of language teacher cognition, this study investigated the beliefs of pre-service and in-service English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers (n = 35) about the use of digital technology in the classroom and the factors that influence those beliefs. </em><em>The participants completed a three-part beliefs’ questionnaire and some (n = 10) were later met for one-on-one interviews. The results suggest that while the teachers value technology and its use in the ESL classroom, the two groups differed in their subscribed beliefs. These differences were traced back to the teachers’ age, </em><em>classroom practice, experiences with digital technology, context(s) in which digital technology was used, and the amount of technology-related training the teachers received.</em><em></em></p>

The Appliance of Religious Literatures in the English Language Classrooms

This article intends to show how literature may be used in language classes to develop student's knowledge in English. First, we examine the evolution of literature in the language classroom, then we give the account of some reasons that justify its use in language classes, of the role of reading in language development and of the way poetry is treated in the ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom. This paper aims to emphasise the use of literature as a popular tool to teach language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking), language areas (i.e. vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation) as well as moral teachings, which is the necessity of the present time. Reason for using religious literary texts in foreign language classroom and main criteria for selecting suitable religious literary texts in foreign language classes are stressed so as to make the reader familiar with the underlying reasons and criteria for language teachers, using and selecting religious literary texts. Moreover, religious literature and teaching of language skills, benefits the different genres of religious literature (i.e. poetry, fiction and drama) and also gaining knowledge of a particular religion through language teaching but some problems had been observed by language teachers within the area of English through religious literature (i.e. lack of preparation in the area of literature teaching in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language)/TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) programmes, absence of clarity in objectives defining the role of literature in ESL/EFL (English as a Foreign Language, language teachers not having the background, training and appropriate knowledge in religious literature, lack of pedagogically-designed teaching material that can be used by language teachers in a classroom.

The Importance of Implementing Collaborative Learning in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Classroom in Malaysia

The collaborative learning method makes the students depend on each other in their pursuit of knowledge and makes the learning process more meaningful and interesting. When students are learning in a group, they will not feel alone and isolated from the rest. When students are working in groups, they will be a part of a community whereby everyone will lend support to one another. This will provide the academic and social support in learning that students need. When students of different performance levels co-operate with each other in working towards achieving a desired goal, the students are not merely accountable for their own learning process but are also responsible for their peers’ learning process as well. In other words, success will breed more success. The learning experience can be further enriched when the teaching method which is used takes into account the interests and motivation of the learners. Student motivation will be heightened as a result of collaborative learning. This is because the students will feel in charge and empowered in terms of their own learning process. This paper will discuss the present teaching and learning experiences in the Malaysian ESL classroom, the recommended model of the collaborative learning method that can be applied in the Malaysian ESL classroom, the significance of the collaborative learning method and its limitations.

Global Englishes, Translinguistic Identities, and Translingual Practices in a Community College ESL Classroom: A Practitioner Researcher Reports

English as a second language (ESL) classrooms in the United States increasingly include students who have had exposure to more than one global context of English. Unless explicitly discussed, the variations within global Englishes can lead to confusion and obstruct learning. In addition, sometimes teachers fail to acknowledge the Englishes that their students bring into the classrooms as valid and valuable, and miss an opportunity to teach their students even more effectively. Teachers who are themselves familiar with global contexts of English can draw upon their own translingual practices and translinguistic identities to validate their students' Englishes while teaching the target variety and developing their students' translingual competence. Translingualism in TESOL is emerging as a new paradigm, and the advances that have been made in theorization about translingual practices need to be supplemented with translingual pedagogies. In response, this article presents a practitioner research report on teaching ESL in a community college from a translingual perspective, and offers snapshots of classroom discussions around variations in postcolonial Englishes. The author emphasizes the need for teachers to acknowledge and validate the Englishes and translinguistic identities present in their classrooms, and shares implications for ESL practitioners' professional development, teacher education programs, as well as practitioner research.