English As A Second Language Teachers Research Articles

FORMAL SCHOOLING AND THE PROCESS OF IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION: EXPERIENCES OF MALAYSIAN YOUTHS IN ‘BAD’ SCHOOLS

In human lifespan development, identity construction is central within social and personal experiences, even more so for teenagers and young adults (youths) who are looking for their sense of self and own identity. The construction of identity involves the growth of a whole person and the development of a stable sense of self. At the same time, the process of identity construction causes some youths to become self-conscious about how others perceive them; this usually results in repeated self-discovery and identity experiment cycles. Their identities are thus constructed and reconstructed as they try out different role types in different settings, such as in schools. The focus of this research paper is to examine the experience of formal schooling and how it relates to the identity process of Malaysian youths. Employing qualitative face-to-face interviews, data were collected from six research participants from a private university in Selangor, Malaysia who were purposively selected for this empirical research. Three criteria for participant selection were used: That they have been in rural schools for most of their lives, the schools adopt a very didactic focus, and the schools have a limited number of highly trained and motivated teachers; in other words, they have experienced being in ‘bad’ schools. The research participants were selected from two different academic programs: Three undergraduate students from Bachelor in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and another three from the Bachelor in Law program. Two research questions were posed. First, where does the experience of formal schooling figure in the identity construction of these youths? And second, what roles do the formal experience of schooling play in the lifespan identity development of these youths? Although not generalisable to all youths in Malaysia, the experiences of the participants contribute to advancing our knowledge of identity construction through the process of formal schooling.

CANADIAN EXPERIENCE OF SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHER TRAINING

Any language learned after mastering the first language is a second language. The practice of learning a second language has a long world history.Canada is famous for its bilingualism and world-class education. Language issues of particular concern in Canada include the study of French as a second language (FSL) by English-speaking Canadians and immigrants in Quebec; study of English as a second language (ESL) by French speakers in Quebec and immigrants in English Canada; supporting other languages, such as those of immigrants and indigenous people; and learning English or French as a second language by indigenous people. The experience of Canada is significant in teaching a second language, and especially the experience of second language teacher training. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to analyze the Canadian experience of second language teacher training.Universities of Canada offer a variety of second language (English) teacher training programs, including a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Linguistics, English as an additional teacher certification language, CELTA and TESOL. The analysis revealed that 62 universities and colleges offer 70 TESOL programs, while only 10 offer CELTA. Therefore, in our article we will look at the content of the TESOL program with the support of TESL Canada – the national English language federation for second language teachers.It has been stated that ESL teacher performs the following duties: conducts hands-on activities; organizes work in discussion groups, individual and group projects; develops curriculum and prepares study materials; prepares tests and papers to evaluate student performance; oversees individual or group projects; may serve on committees to discuss budgets, review curricula and course requirements; can provide advisory services to government, business and other organizations

Omani ESL learners perception of their pronunciation needs

The aim of this study is to analyze Omani ESL learners perception of their pronunciation needs, problems related to Omani students’ pronunciation and strategies which students use to learn pronunciation. The paper also investigates if Omani students are conscious of their pronunciation obstacles. In this study, the observation and perception of Omani university students from Ad Dakhiliyah Region were examined in order to determine their pronunciation needs. As far as English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are concerned, language skills are frequently taught separately and teachers focus more on some skills i.e. grammar, reading, writing and vocabulary than on pronunciation. Seidlhofer (2000) states that some researchers have noted that teachers treat pronunciation skills as the “Cinderella” of ESL teaching and pronunciation is regarded as an extra add-on. It is essential to investigate for a teacher what aspects and strategies of teaching pronunciation are the best for ESL students. The method of data collection was a questionnaire using the sample questions presented by Derwing and Rossiter (2002). The questionnaire was distributed among Omani university learners in Ad Dakhiliyah Region. Students were asked to fill in the questionnaire and return it the next day. The major research problem is focused on the possibility of improvement of pronunciation teaching strategies. The research was conducted by the author during his professional work as a university lecturer in the Ad Dakhiliyah region in the Sultanate of Oman.

READING INTEREST AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH READING PERFORMANCE: A STUDY OF ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN MALAYSIA

Purpose of the study: This study aims to specifically examine reading interest among English as a Second Language (ESL) learners and determine its relationship with their performance in ESL classrooms.
 Methodology: This study is based on cross-sectional survey design, comprising a randomly selected sample of 351 ESL learners from the state of Terengganu. The questionnaire was used as a data-gathering instrument, consisting of pre-test and post-test items using Know Want Learn (KWL) reading method.
 Main Findings: The findings revealed that most of the ESL learners read English materials for academic purposes rather than news and entertainment. Also, there is a significant relationship between ESL learners’ reading interests and their performance in ESL classrooms.
 Applications: This study consists of empirical evidence regarding students’ reading interests and their correlation with their performance in the ESL classroom. This could help ESL teachers to rectify the students’ problems in reading English materials.
 Novelty/Originality: This study provides valuable information on the importance of reading interests in determining students’ performance, particularly in ESL classrooms.

Reading Interest and its Relationship with Reading Performance: A Study of English as Second Language Learners in Malaysia

This study aims to specifically examine reading interest among English as a Second Language (ESL) learners and determine its relationship with their performance in ESL classrooms. This study is based on cross-sectional survey design, comprising a randomly selected sample of 351 ESL learners from the state of Terengganu. The questionnaire was used as a data-gathering instrument, consisting of pre-test and post-test items using Know Want Learn (KWL) reading method.: The findings revealed that most of the ESL learners read English materials for academic purposes rather than news and entertainment. There is also a significant relationship between ESL learners’ reading interests and their performance in ESL classrooms. This study consists of empirical evidence regarding students’ reading interests and their correlation with their performance in the ESL classroom. This could help ESL teachers to rectify the students’ problems in reading English materials. This study provides valuable information on the importance of reading interests in determining students’ performance, particularly in ESL classrooms.

ESL Student Teachers Beliefs about Learning Arabic as a Foreign Language

Learning a foreign language is a daunting task for many especially adult learners. This is because their motivation to learn the languages varies from one individual to another. Some do it to fulfill graduation requirement from the institution they are studying in while others, for fun. Thus, owing to these differences, understanding their attitude and beliefs about the language they take up is important as the belief affects language learning performance. This paper is written to investigate the beliefs of student teachers majoring in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) about learning Arabic as a foreign/third language. The respondents were enrolled in Arabic as foreign language class to meet the graduation requirement. Data for the study were collected using BALLI, an instrument to measure students’ beliefs about language learning. As this is a descriptive study, the data gathered were analysed using percentage. In general, respondents held positive beliefs about learning Arabic despite having some unrealistic beliefs about the language. The findings have a number of contributions both pedagogically and practically. One pedagogical implication the study contributes is with regards to the needs to inculcate realistic beliefs among students in learning Arabic as a foreign language.

Employing Flipped Learning to Alleviate Foreign Language Anxiety

Many previous studies have demonstrated that flipped learning has more advantages than traditional learning in the context of teaching ESL (English as a second language) and EFL (English as a foreign language). The present study aimed to directly examine effectiveness of flipped learning on student anxiety, with 61 intermediate level EFL students. The t-test results showed that the levels of foreign language anxiety were significantly lower at the post-test than at the pre-test both in traditional classroom and in flipped classroom. The ANCOVA results showed that flipped learning causes less anxiety than traditional learning does, regarding speaking anxiety, low self-confidence on English ability, native speaker anxiety, and overall anxiety, but not in the case of English test anxiety. These results indicate that flipped learning seems to be preferable to traditional learning when EFL teachers give TOEIC lessons to intermediate level students so as to create low anxiety classroom.

Constructing a Model for ESL Teacher Training

Countries in which English is not the primary language necessarily rely on educators for whom English is a second language to provide training in English as a second language (ESL). Such educators are commonly referred to as Non Native-English-Speaking Teachers (NNEST). There are specific concerns which must be addressed in the training of these teachers. This paper provides a framework to guide the construction of a model for this type of language teacher training. Effective ESL teacher training and issues specific to the NNEST cohort are examined. There is an examination of current research that highlights the importance of ongoing tutorials and mentoring programs in such training. This is followed by a detailed analysis of the unique challenges facing NNEST. Finally, this analysis guides the construction of a contemplated training model, which comprises the following domains: Intense Training and Learning; Encourage Personal Connection; Infused Training; Cultural Awareness; Focus Beyond Vocabulary and Grammar; Use of Technology; Confidence in Strengths; Support throughout the Practicum. The conclusion of the paper includes directions for further research, while this model can be put into practice as a guide for teacher training.

TEACHER TRAINEES’ JOURNEY TO DEVELOP LEARNER AUTONOMY

This study concerns the degree of autonomy in English Language Learning (ELL) amongst the ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher trainees in Sarawak. This is part of a larger study which aims to investigate the relationship between ESL teacher trainees’ self-rating in ELL and their degree of autonomy based on their perceived ELL. The Pedagogy-Andragogy-Heutagogy Continuum Framework is used to guide the study. Data were collected from questionnaire distributed to 259 ESL trainee teachers from four IPG (Teacher Training Institute) campuses in Sarawak. The data were analysed through descriptive analysis and correlation tests using SPSS version 22. The results revealed that the degree of autonomy of the ESL teacher trainees in ELL is high with significant but weak relationship between their self-rating with ELL and their degree of autonomy. This study adds to the limited data on the learner autonomy of ESL teacher trainees which should be addressed in the Malaysian Education Blueprint. We recommend that future education policy gives more attention in developing teacher trainees’ learner autonomy in order to ensure the alignment between second language teacher training and the development of 21st century learner skills as stated in the Malaysian Education Blueprint. 
 
 Keywords: ESL trainee teachers, learner autonomy, Malaysian education blueprint, second language teacher education, 21st century learner skills
 
 Cite as: Sarkawi, S., Sharatol Ahmad Shah, S., Senom, F., & Mohamad Nor, A. (2019). Teacher trainees’ journey to develop learner autonomy. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 282-301. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp282-301

L2 Learners’ expected ideal English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher

This study investigated the expected ideal English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher of the L2 learners in Sri Lanka. ESL teacher is a key person in the ESL classroom in Sri Lanka. School is the primary spot for the vast majority of the L2 students to start their L2 learning in Sri Lanka. This investigation was led among 30 Sri Lankan state funded university students by utilizing the mixed method. There were non-English majors among the participants and participation was voluntary. The questionnaire data were analyzed by utilizing SPSS and group discussion information were analyzed through categorization technique. The results of the questionnaire analysis showed that, L2 students expect their ESL educators to have good skill in using English language, be well prepared, have the capacity to motivate the students and possess great individual characteristics. Furthermore, through the group discussion, it was identified that most of the students lost their inspiration because of the personality and teaching ability of the ESL teacher at school. More significantly, these students feel motivated to begin their L2 learning later because of a motivating ESL instructor either in a tuition center or in an institute. Indeed, the findings recommend that the qualities and ability of the ESL teacher in an L2 classroom are critical in motivating the L2 students in Sri Lanka. These findings can be applied for the advancement of the selection of English Language teachers in Sri Lanka.

Exploring professional identities of nonnative‐English‐speaking teachers in the United States: A narrative case study

This article explores the experiences of a Chinese language teacher in the United States and how she constructed and negotiated her professional identities during and after her teacher preparation in a U.S.‐based English as a second language (ESL) teacher preparation program. Using narrative inquiry to understand the participant’s experience and perspectives of her professional identities as both an ESL teacher candidate and a Chinese language teacher in the United States, the study identified two key transitional periods: moving from China to the United States and transitioning from a student into a professional career. Findings underscore the dynamic nature of language teacher identities as individuals find themselves in different English language teaching contexts. The study also shows how professional identities are constructed in discourse and shaped by native speaker ideologies in the English language teaching field. In addition, the study reveals the dearth of critical reflection of Asian ethnic English language teachers on raciolinguistic ideologies obscuring their raciolinguistic identities and the crucial role that school climate plays in shaping teacher identities. The study calls for teacher candidates to have opportunities for critical reflection on their language teacher identities and critical analysis of curriculum and experiences in language teacher preparation programs.

Transformative professional development for in-service teachers through international service learning

ABSTRACTTeachers who participate in learning and teaching abroad enhance their intercultural competence, develop more globally informed and critical perspectives on education, and improve their foreign language and teaching skills. However, most of the research on teacher study abroad has been conducted with pre-service rather than in-service teachers. To address study abroad designed for working teachers, this study analyzes a month-long, instructor-led program in San José, Costa Rica in which 10 primary and secondary in-service teachers of English as a Second Language (TESOL) from New York City volunteered as English teaching assistants. Participants also engaged in Spanish language learning both formally through university coursework as well as informally through homestay. A conceptual framework for the design of such programs is suggested, drawing on the literature on teacher study abroad and transformative learning theory, with implications for the personal and professional learning of in-service teachers.

Leveraging the Use of Social Media in Teaching Writing: A Qualitative Investigation among ESL Pre-Service Teachers

<p class="0abstract">Advances of technology and innovation suggest new form and paths in language teaching. Social media use can be a great influence for English as a Second Language (ESL) students especially in writing competency. Despite of many positive reports that presented affordances in social media use, however, there are insufficient studies that investigate ESL trainee teachers’ perception on this matter. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate ESL pre-service teachers’ views upon leveraging the use of social media in teaching of writing focusing on the opportunities and challenges. This study employed qualitative methods where thirty-four ESL pre-service teachers from a public university were involved. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that ESL pre-service teachers perceived the use of social media in teaching writing can be of beneficial and similarly challenging. Opportunities stated by the participants include enhancement in collaborative learning, supporting students’ self-directed learning and simplify the teaching and learning processes. On the other hand, the challenges mentioned by the participants are that social media can be a source of distraction, deterioration in language and plagiarism. Thus, it is advisable that teachers play their roles responsibly in managing students’ activities online and also be equipped with technology skills to enhance the establishments of social media in ESL teaching of writing.</p>

The role of inhibitory control in overcoming English written-verb inflection errors: Evidence from Chinese ESL learners

This study examined the role of inhibitory control in overcoming English written errors related to the past tense marking of irregular verbs. The participants were Chinese English as a second language (ESL) learners, including 55 eighth-grade students and 30 undergraduate students who were asked to perform a sentence determination task (i.e., to determine whether a sentence presented on a screen is grammatically correct). The study used a negative priming paradigm. We found that the negative priming (NP) effect occurred in both the adolescent participants and the adult participants, and the magnitude of the NP effect was smaller in the adults than in the adolescents. These findings support the inhibitory control perspective—that learning verb inflections relies not only on the acquisition of declarative grammatical knowledge but also on the ability to inhibit an overgeneralized rule or an overlearned strategy. This study sheds light on the importance of inhibitory control in ESL learning and teaching.

The Reality of Malaysian ESL Teachers’ ICT Pedagogical Practices: Challenges and Suggestions

Teachers of English as a second language (ESL) are nowadays exploring the integration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools into their Higher Order Thinking (HOT) pedagogical practices. However, there are various challenges in using ICT to teach Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), as it is only explored superficially. This study investigates the challenges encountered by ESL teachers when using ICT to promote HOTS. Meanwhile it aims to provide a set of guidelines to help teachers in teaching HOTS through utilising ICT. The framework of the research is grounded on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (2011). 30 ESL teachers from 5 schools selected by the ESL Master Teachers’ affiliation, participated in answering to the questionnaires. Meanwhile, 5 ESL teachers from each school were involved in focus group discussions (which were used to triangulate the data obtained from the questionnaires. The FGDs lasted for 20 minutes per session, and they were conducted based on the availability of the ESL teachers. The collected data were analysed in the form of tables and direct excerpts. The findings support that ESL teachers face multiple challenges such as time constraint, poor internet connection, and lack of ICT tools while using ICT to promote HOTS in schools. The findings of the present study are in-line with Malaysia’s vision in shifting the focus of education into the acquisition of HOTS. ESL teachers benefit from this research as they can improve on their teaching pedagogies based on the suggestions presented in this study.

Online Case-Based Problem-Solving Module for ESL Teacher Education

In Malaysia, efforts to increase the quality of students’ learning and achievement, and teachers’ quality of delivery and instruction have been ongoing as documented in the National Education Blueprints 2015-2025. The complex nature of the teaching profession requires problem-solving skills to be instilled in teachers to ensure they are able to face the demands of the teaching profession and increase the quality of their instruction. However, research has shown that higher education has not adequately prepared pre-service teachers with problem-solving skills, pedagogical content knowledge, ability to bridge theory and practice, and to be adequately prepared to teach. Hence, this study is carried out to develop and implement an Online Case-Based Problem-Solving (OCBPS) Module to enhance problem-solving skills and other vital skills that can increase the competency of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) pre-service teachers. Pre-service teachers observe an authentic ESL writing lesson and engage in problem-solution analysis relating to pedagogy and content of ESL writing. A Single-Group Pre-test-Post-test Design is adopted in which scores of pre-reflection essays written by the pre-service teachers before the implementation of the module, and the scores of post reflective essays written at the end of the module implementation are compared. The findings for usability indicate that the OCBPS module has the potential of developing vital skills in ESL pre-service teachers like problem-solving skills, pedagogical content knowledge, and the ability to bridge theory and practice.

Understanding Hong Kong primary school English teachers’ continuance intention to teach with ICT

There has been an increasing concern on teachers’ adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching practices. However, little has been explored about English as a second language (ESL) teachers’ ICT adoption. This study synthesizes the technology acceptance model (TAM), the value-expectancy theory, and a learning perspective to propose a model -for investigating ESL teachers’ continuance intention to use ICT in teaching. In the proposed model, motivational beliefs, ICT learning behaviors, facilitating conditions, and perceptions towards ICT use were put together to see how they worked together to influence continuance intention. Participants were 156 primary school ESL teachers in Hong Kong, who attended a teacher professional development program. Structural equation modeling showed that ICT self-efficacy and facilitating conditions were positively associated with continuance intention through perceptions (i.e. perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness). ICT anxiety had a negative effect, whereas interest had a positive effect on continuance intention. Growth mindset had a positive effect on continuance intention through learning of ICT (i.e. adaptive help seeking). Implications for teachers’ professional development programs are discussed.

Teachers’ perceptions of a mentoring cohort model in a program leading to certification to teach English language learners

ABSTRACT This study focused on the perceptions of in-service general education teachers who completed a cohort mentoring program leading to certification in English as a Second Language (ESL) at a large, urban university. Based on interviews with 19 members of a cohort of 28, participants valued both the support and augmented skills-development the mentoring element afforded and the supportive, collaborative environment provided by the cohort model. Many also reported that the ESL-targeted strategies they learned were helpful in teaching all student populations and that program participation contributed to their increased involvement in leading professional development and, for some, to their intention to seek administrative roles. Based on these findings and the literature reviewed, the program examined may represent a model that can help to meet the demonstrated need for more trained ESL teachers in U.S. schools and can contribute to developing school leaders.

Integrating web 2.0 technology in ESL classroom: A review on the benefits and barriers

In this immensely growing information and communication technology (ICT) era, technology has been a subject matter that is not “alien” any more in all fields, including the education field. Nowadays, integrating technology in teaching and learning process is seen vital and essential in its way to offer a more meaningful learning to the learners, and to produce high-quality human capital equipped with the 21st century skills. In English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching and learning particularly, there are many ways educators have used to ensure that ESL learners could benefit from incorporating technology in ESL classroom including through the use of Web 2.0 technology. This paper aims to review the benefits and barriers of integrating Web 2.0 technology in ESL classroom. This paper uses a number of journal articles and conference proceedings in aiding to find the related data. Thus, it is concluded that although integrating Web 2.0 technology in ESL classroom does come with its apparent barriers, the benefits of it towards ESL teaching and learning process and ESL learners are also evident and will be further discussed in the findings.

Integrating web 2.0 technology in ESL classroom: A review on the benefits and barriers

In this immensely growing information and communication technology (ICT) era, technology has been a subject matter that is not “alien” any more in all fields, including the education field. Nowadays, integrating technology in teaching and learning process is seen vital and essential in its way to offer a more meaningful learning to the learners, and to produce high-quality human capital equipped with the 21st century skills. In English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching and learning particularly, there are many ways educators have used to ensure that ESL learners could benefit from incorporating technology in ESL classroom including through the use of Web 2.0 technology. This paper aims to review the benefits and barriers of integrating Web 2.0 technology in ESL classroom. This paper uses a number of journal articles and conference proceedings in aiding to find the related data. Thus, it is concluded that although integrating Web 2.0 technology in ESL classroom does come with its apparent barriers, the benefits of it towards ESL teaching and learning process and ESL learners are also evident and will be further discussed in the findings.