English Faculty Research Articles

Teaching Reading Skills in the Indian Engineering Context: Challenges and Experiences

ABSTRACT This study focuses on teaching Engineering students reading skills in the English classroom. The methodology comprised conducting surveys—with the aid of three questionnaires—to gather the views of Engineering students, English faculty, and Engineering faculty on how reading skills could be taught and learned effectively. In addition, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews to clarify some doubts that arose after the survey. The survey questions gathered the survey participants’ background, their reading purposes, their preferences regarding reading and reading activities, reading expectations and challenges, suggestions for interesting reading materials, and ways to improve reading skills. The data interpretation of the three surveys and the subsequent interviews highlights the steps to be taken to enhance the Engineering learners’ English reading skills.

Learner Autonomy Through the Use of ChatGPT by Third-Year Students of English Faculty at University of Foreign Language Studies (UFLS)

This study aimed to investigate the impact of utilizing ChatGPT on learner autonomy of third-year students of Faculty of English at the University of Danang – University of Foreign Language Studies (UD – UFLS). In this research, quantitative methods were employed with a close-ended questionnaire aiming to figure the relationship between student use of ChatGPT and their autonomy. Learner autonomy, in this study, was examined in two aspects, study habits and independence of learning. The survey involved 103 students; the collected data were analyzed statistically to answer the research questions. The study’s results showed that ChatGPT has little impact on the participants’ learning autonomy. However, this tool can be useful for learners’ study habits thanks to its personalized feedback and recommendations. Although our research has provided more insights into the field of technology-assisted language learning, especially learning with the use of ChatGPT, further research on the relationship of learning autonomy and ChatGPT with a larger sample and in a longer time should be conducted to ensure consistency and reliability of the impacts of ChatGPT on learner autonomy.

Career challenges of international female faculty in US universities: from a linguistic profiling perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to review how international female faculty experience linguistic challenges and bias in their US university careers.Design/methodology/approachBy reviewing related literature, the authors explore the career challenges of international female faculty including hiring, promotion and tenure and leadership opportunities from a linguistic profiling perspective.FindingsInternational female faculty have relatively few hiring opportunities, specifically when institutions and fields openly accept linguistic profiling and bias and are less likely to hire non-native English-speaking international faculty. In the promotion and tenure process, international female faculty have struggled with standard academic English criteria and poor teaching evaluations from students because of the faculty’s different English usage such as word choice, grammar and pragmatics. In terms of leadership opportunities, international female professors have faced linguistic bias that non-native English faculty members are not competent, credible, intelligent or skilled because they speak accented English.Originality/valueThis study can help researchers and career development practitioners by adding linguistic profiling specific diversity and inclusion perspectives to existing literature. The findings expand the perspectives and practices related to the career challenges of international female faculty due to linguistic profiling.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE INTERACTION OF THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS IN SPEAKING CLASSES AT HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

This study investigates external and internal factors affecting students’ interaction in English-speaking classes to develop effective strategies to improve their interaction. The study was conducted among sixteen classes at the Faculty of English at Hanoi Open University, with 86 students in total. Questionnaires and interviews were employed as data collection instruments for the study. The results showed that there are still a large number of ‘passive’ students who are not willing to speak and participate in class activities for different reasons, both coming from external and internal ones. These factors mainly include “self-confidence”, “motivation, and interest”, “prior relationships”, “classroom environment,” “lecturers’ teaching styles”, and “technological devices”. Accordingly, different techniques and teaching methods were recommended to promote students’ interaction during speaking lessons, including “pair work,” “asking-answering questions,” “debate sessions or discussion,” and “interactive multimedia learning.” The study results are expected to help both students and lecturers identify influential factors and explore more effective strategies or teaching methods to enhance students’ participation in English-speaking classes.

EXPLORING AI-BASED TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ INSPIRATION IN STUDYING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION - ONE OF THE COMPULSORY SUBJECTS AT THE FACULTY OF ENGLISH – HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

These days, chatbots play a crucial role in students' lives and are utilized in various settings. As a result, we are interested in integrating these tools into the teaching process to use their advantages, help and mentor students as they try to avoid problems like plagiarism, and primarily increase students' motivation. The qualitative and quantitative analysis methods have been applied, together with the documents, the result of research works of previous scholars, and results from the questionnaires obtained from 100 students (course 2021-2025) who have studied the subject of Intercultural Communication at the Faculty of English for the academic year 2022-2023. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether using an AI-based chatbot agent as a teaching tool makes students more motivated or not, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these conversational chatbots, show how vital chatbots may be for raising student motivation, and improve teaching techniques in the process of studying the subject of Intercultural Communication.

Collaboration to support veterans: An ongoing project in the Pikes Peak region

AbstractThis article describes the collaborative efforts at Pikes Peak State College to support veterans within the institution and community. In partnership with PPSC's Military and Veterans Program and with assistance from professional colleagues inside and outside the institution, two English faculty spearheaded efforts to organize events and create a military arts publication they hope to turn into a national journal that accepts submissions from across the country. In keeping with military strategies encouraging teamwork and adaptation, they have built a framework for ongoing military and veteran outreach in the Pikes Peak region.

Teaching Critical Thinking to English-Majored Students through the Pathways Coursebooks (2nd edition) at UFLS-UD: Challenges and Solutions

Critical thinking (CT), a 21st-century skill, not only plays a crucial role in students’ academic success but is also a fundamental capacity increasingly sought upon in the competitive global job market. However, there has been limited research in Vietnam on how to foster CT through English language teaching in higher education. This study fills this gap by investigating the challenges of teaching CT through the teaching of four English practical skills at the University of Foreign Language Studies - the University of Da Nang (UFLS-UD) via the Pathways Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking (2nd edition), which is a global, innovative academic English coursebook series carefully designed to develop integrated English language skills and CT. Coursebooks have been used in the curriculum at the Faculty of English and the Faculty of Foreign Language Teacher Education since 2021. However, how to effectively explore coursebooks’ resources to develop students’ critical thinking skills has not been investigated. With the employment of research methods, namely, survey questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, our study is an attempt to identify the abovementioned challenges, thereby suggesting solutions to enhance the quality of teaching CT combined with language skills for English-majored students.

Exploring Communication Strategies in English Speaking Skills: A Study of Students at the University of Danang-University of Foreign Language Studies, Vietnam

The study focuses on communication strategies, specifically examining how they are perceived and used in English-speaking activities, as well as the impacts of verbal communications strategies (VCSs) on the performances of second-year English students from the Faculty of Foreign Language Teacher Education and the Faculty of English at the University of Danang-University of Foreign Language Studies (hereafter called EFL students for brief) as well as to propose appropriate solutions to assist them to improve their communication skills. Data were collected from 280 questionnaires, and the analysis of the in-depth interviews was conducted with 10 student informants and observations of 40 students in total. The findings show that most students were familiar with the term “communication strategies”, though they did not know exactly what the term referred to. Additionally, EFL second-years employed all twelve studied VCSs at various frequencies. Both positive and negative influences were reported, and judgement about errors from surrounding people was chosen as the biggest obstacle when applying VCSs. Several solutions were discussed in the study to solve these problems.

APPLICATION OF FLIPPED LEARNING METHODS IN THE UNIVERSITY CLASSROOM

Mobile technologies have increasingly become widespread, offering convenience in our daily lives as well as significant potential for educational advancement. This case study explores university students’ satisfaction with and perceptions of the use of flipped classroom methods in foreign language learning contexts. The study employs descriptive and quantitative analysis of responses from students studying English as a foreign language at the second English faculty at the Uzbek State World Languages University (UzSWLU). The findings provide insights for educators looking to implement flipped classroom methods effectively.

How to Choose an English Doctoral Program: A Guide for Women, First-Generation University Students, and Their Mentors

Featuring data from a nationwide survey of English faculty in Canada, this study focuses on the reasons that faculty offered for choosing their respective doctoral programs. This analysis pays particular attention to gendered disparities in participants’ responses and to disparities associated with parental educational level, two variables that sometimes intersect in striking ways. This investigation explains why some reasons that women and first-generation university students provided for their choice of doctoral program can increase a student’s chances of entering a poorly ranked program. Employing previously unprocessed data from Statistics Canada, this article also presents information to help would-be PhD students who are women, first-generation university students, or both make more informed decisions about where to pursue doctoral study to be more competitive in the academic job market if they aspire to be professors. This article is simultaneously designed to increase faculty mentors’ understanding of the problematic logic that women and first-generation university students may use when selecting their PhD programs so that such mentors can better address these students’ misperceptions about doctoral studies and the profession.

Enhancing Paraphrasing Skills for First-Year Students at the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University

This study investigates paraphrasing skills among first-year students at Hanoi Open University, addressing a crucial aspect of academic writing in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. Through a mixed-methods approach, involving a survey of 75 students and faculty interviews, the research reveals significant challenges in paraphrasing proficiency. Key findings include low confidence in paraphrasing abilities (60% lacking confidence), infrequent use in classes (85% never using the skill), and misconceptions about paraphrasing techniques (40% relying on copying). Despite these challenges, 80% of students recognize paraphrasing's importance, and 83% express a desire to improve. Primary obstacles identified are limited vocabulary (45%) and difficulty in sentence restructuring (30%). The study highlights a critical gap between awareness of paraphrasing's importance and practical application skills. Recommendations include integrating regular paraphrasing exercises across courses, implementing targeted vocabulary and sentence restructuring workshops, and developing online resources for self-study. This research contributes to understanding EFL students' paraphrasing challenges and provides practical strategies for enhancing academic writing instruction in Vietnamese higher education contexts.

Grammatical Ability Assessment Software for ESL Students with Limited English Proficiency

Grammatical Ability Assessment Software for ESL Students with Limited English Proficiency

(Non)-Conformity to Native English Norms in Postgraduate Students' Writing in UK Universities: Perspectives of Native and Non-Native Students and Academic Staff

Postgraduate writing is a major academic feature through which students' learning progress is assessed. It is thus of paramount importance that students must meet the academic writing demands required by their respective academic schools and departments in order to pass their chosen courses. The study strives to explore the extent to which native and non-native English-speaking postgraduate students are required to conform to the norm of native-speakerism preferable to native English faculty members in some United Kingdom (UK) universities. This study is mainly qualitative and it involves three research instruments: (a) open-ended surveys targeting 111 native and non-native postgraduate students and 65 lecturers from different departments, (b) semi-structured interviews conducted with 13 lecturers and 10 students, and (c) an analysis of lecturers’ feedback on 53 students’ written productions. The findings show that the recommendations to conform to native English conventions exist only in some theoretical research. In practice, however, UK universities and academic staff do not save efforts to enable their students to express their ideas in clear comprehensible academic English. These results yield some insightful penetrations not only to the host universities but also to overseas governments as well. In addition, this study offers some implications for postgraduate students.

Investigating English-Majored Students’ Levels of Satisfaction with Their Internship Experiences: A Case Study at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance

This study aims to explore English-majored students’ perceptions of the value of internship and their levels of satisfaction with regard to three workplace dimensions including job characteristics, work environment characteristics, and contextual factors. Fifty interns from the Faculty of English at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance (UEF) participated in this project. Data were collected through questionnaires and then quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The results indicated that the majority of the interns had positive perceptions of the internship experience and demonstrated their maturity and responsibility. The students also expressed high satisfaction with job characteristics, specifically skill variety, autonomy, feedback, and work-related factors such as co-workers and supervisor support. However, they were somehow dissatisfied with contextual elements such as the working hours and compensation. These findings can assist academic institutions, academic supervisors and host companies in providing students with effective internship experience and enhancing their workplace skills.

Interrogating representations of transgressive women: Using critical information literacy and comic books in the Shakespeare classroom

How can instructors and librarians collaborate to provide the interpretive scaffolds for students to critically engage with visual primary materials? The authors, an English faculty member and a faculty instruction librarian at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester (UNH Manchester), used graphic fiction as the textual basis of information literacy (IL) instruction, encouraging students to interpret primary and secondary sources using visual literacy heuristics and critical inquiry skills. Their student-centered, inquiry-based IL session for a Capstone Shakespearean Adaptations course focused on critical thinking and research question design. Using woodcuts from primary historical texts and images from contemporary graphic fiction adaptations of Macbeth, the instructors decentralized the classroom, empowering students to ask probing questions about illustrations of witches in early modern English source materials. Students used their questions to explore interpretations of visual depictions of powerful women in historical primary texts and contemporary graphic adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Guided by the instructors, students decoded images using the metadiscourse of graphic fiction; generated questions to inform their own inquiry into the topic; applied their IL skills to new texts; and interrogated the biases of received narratives about women who transgress societal norms and expectations, both in the early modern period and in the contemporary world.

Perception, Attitude and Practice of English Presentation Skills by Students at the University of Danang-University of Foreign Language Studies, Vietnam

The study aims to find out the perception, attitude, and practice of English presentation skills of first-year English students from the Faculty of Foreign Language Teacher Education and the Faculty of English at The University of Danang-University of Foreign Language Studies (hereafter called EFL students for brief) as well as to propose appropriate solutions to assist them. Data were collected from 200 questionnaires, and the analysis of the in-depth interviews was conducted with 10 student informants and observations of 30 students in total. The findings showed that most students were familiar with English presentation skills. Also, they were aware of the importance of presentation skills and agreed on the necessity for a successful presentation. Knowledge was what caused participants the most difficulties during the preparation stage, and when presenting, students struggled the most not to replicate the textbook word-by-word. To solve these problems, several solutions were discussed in the study.

How Members of English Faculty and Career Center Staff Collaborate to Teach English Majors at the University of California, Davis

How Members of English Faculty and Career Center Staff Collaborate to Teach English Majors at the University of California, Davis

FEATURES OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE UKRAINIAN POPULATION IN THE CONDITIONS OF OPPOSING THE AGGRESSOR

The purpose of the study is to determine the socio-psychological factors influencing the effectiveness of social-psychological assistance to the Ukrainian population in wartime conditions and their possible approbation as the use of relevant experience to ensure effective professional training of future psychologists in higher educational institutions. Research tasks: 1) determination of the social and psychological needs of the war-affected population of Ukraine; 2) determination of the level of social and psychological provision of assistance to victims; 3) determination of the conditions and means of ensuring the development of social and psychological assistance to the affected population. To solve the research task – to determine the level, conditions and means of ensuring the development of socio-psychological assistance to the affected population, the following research methods were used: theoretical analysis, synthesis and applied research using standardized methods. The state of readiness of Ukrainian psychologists to provide appropriate assistance to the population, development of the necessary psychological and methodological materials was analyzed. The peculiarities of psychological assistance to the injured are highlighted using the example of one of the first psychologists who developed a methodical guide aimed at the psychological and mental rehabilitation of injured Ukrainians. Emphasis is placed on psychological diagnosis and individual and group psychocorrection, psychotherapy (primary psychological assistance to displaced persons, assessment of the severity of the impact of a traumatic event, self-assessment of the level of depression in psychological diagnosis, short psychotherapy in an individual and complex multi-directional approach to getting out of a traumatized state in group work with displaced persons) and the importance of the positive influence on the development of this assistance of the relevant personal and professional qualities and properties of future psychologists. In order to identify the conditions and means of ensuring the development of socio-psychological assistance to the affected population, a number of methods were used in the study: 1) "Self-esteem" test (by S.A. Budassi); 2) Method "Self-assessment of mental state: well-being, general activity, mood (SAN)" (authors: V.A. Doskin, N.A. Lavrentyeva, V.B. Sharay, M.P. Miroshnikov); 3) "Scale of reactive and personal anxiety" (developed by C.D. Spielberger, adapted by Y.L. Khanin); 4) "Professional identity study methodology (MVPI) (author L.B. Schneider). 178 students of the III-IV courses of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology of the National Pedagogical University named after M.P. Drahomanov and 5th courses of the Faculty of Psychology named after T.G. Shevchenko and the Faculty of English of the National Linguistic University. From the analysis of the conducted methods, it was found that the researched future psychologists, who are oriented to practical activities under the guidance of mentors, have inadequately inflated self-esteem, an average level of cognitive activity, and an average level of anxiety during training, which correlates with an insufficient level of development of their professional self-identity. This indicates an inadequately inflated self-esteem, insufficient self-determination, inadequate self-satisfaction, self-expression, and insufficient self-regulation of the subjects during training. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to creating conditions, finding means to increase opportunities for future psychologists to achieve a conscious, positive professional identity at the stage of educational and professional training, as this is an important basis for the effective formation of their professional identity in the future, as future reliable qualified specialists, the professional level of which will meet public demands, the needs of psychological assistance to victims of the war in the country. Keywords: socio-psychological assistance, psychological-methodical support, professional self-identity, personal-professional qualities and attributes, future psychologist

A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES IN PARTS THREE AND FOUR OF THE END OF COURSE ORAL TEST FACED BY FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AND SOME SOLUTIONS

Nowadays, English is the most popular language in many countries all over the
 world. It is used as an official language in many fields such as economics,
 politics, science, technology, sports, entertainment and many others.
 Moreover, it has also become a compulsory subject in the curriculum of many
 worldwide schools, colleges and universities. However, it is not easy to study
 and employ a foreign language. Particularly, in all four basic language skills,
 Speaking skill can be considered to be a significant one which requires
 learners to spend very much time learning and practising and most students
 face difficulties when presenting their ideas as well as expressing opinions in
 English, especially in the End of Course Oral test. This research therefore aims
 at studying the first-year English-majored student‟s problems in taking part in
 Part three and Part four in the End of Course Oral test at University of Foreign
 Language Studies - The University of Danang. This study also tries to find out
 the useful strategies to help first-year students to overcome these issues. The
 sample of the study consisted of 100 students at Faculty of English, University
 of Foreign Language Studies - The University of Danang. The research uses
 questionnaires, interviews and documents related to the issue as the tools of
 data collection in order to analyse difficulties and problems encountered when
 students take part in Parts three and four in the End of Course Oral test of the
 first-year students, Faculty of English, University of Foreign Language Studies
 - The University of Danang. The results of this study revealed that the
 students at Faculty of English, UFL - UDN face many problems related to the
 End of Course Oral test of English Integrated Skills B1.2, particularly Part 3
 and Part 4 such as Lack of Vocabulary, Lack of Grammar, Lack of Coherence
 and Fluency, Poor Pronunciation, Insufficient knowledge or experience on
 some topics, Poor Communication skills in English, Poor analytical and problem
 solving skills and Lack of Confidence when Speaking. This study also
 presented some of appropriate solutions for students to overcome these
 difficulties in the End of Course Oral test and improve the weakness in
 Speaking skill such as practicing speaking English inside and outside the
 classroom effectively, using the modern social media to communicate in
 English.

Examining Students’ Translation Quality in Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

The past decade has shown the rapid development of digital media. Subtitling as a result of audio-visual translation (AVT) becomes a crucial part because it has to be able to provide the best subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing people. This descriptive qualitative study aims to examine the quality of subtitling for deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) of a subtitled movie entitled “The Three Little Pigs” by the students of English faculty in Surakarta city, Indonesia. Three raters are invited to contribute to assessing the quality of the subtitle. Concerning deaf and hard of hearing, the rater for readability aspect comes from the deaf person willing to contribute to the study. The finding of 72 data revealed that the quality of subtitling was accurate (51), acceptable (62), and less readable subtitling (49). The result can be helpful as a way of gaining accessibility and spreading the information to the DHH viewers. As the pedagogical implication of future work on translation, it can be used as a consideration to achieve the readability aspect more significantly, specifically, DHH readers or viewers.