English Instruction Research Articles

Needs Analysis: The Primary Step in Designing English Instructional Materials for Nursing Students

This research intended to analyze and identify the needs of English instructional materials (ESP) for nursing students. English in higher education in non-English major is only as a General Basic Subject and the material provided is only general English. Whereas ideally English material taught should be adjusted to their major. So, needs analysis was required to find out the need for English teaching materials on the nursing department so that students could get the appropriate materials they really need to support their future careers to be professional nurses. This study design was a descriptive qualitative with subjects were 81 nursing students, heads of nursing study programs, 3 ESP lecturers, 2 Indonesian nurses, 2 Indonesian nurses who work in overseas hospital. The research instrument used a questionnaire and interviews. The results showed that in general, students' English skills were still low. From the 4 language skills, speaking become the main priority to provide them fulfilling their profession’s demands in accordance with the job market, namely being able to communicate in English well. They also expected ESP English teaching materials that are relevant to nursing major to support their professional careers. 86% students believed if English materials related to nursing major will improve their interest in learning. Besides that, there are also 12 nursing topics that students need to support their world of work later. This research results will be guidance in making appropriate syllabus and developing English for nursing textbook.

Early plurilingual foreign language teaching in mixed classrooms: Linguistic and metalinguistic predictors of foreign language development among majority-language and minority-language students in EFL classes

In a pre-posttest control group study, we test how plurilingual foreign language teaching affects foreign-language development in 258 primary-school students learning English in Germany. We compare general proficiency development in a group of students experiencing plurilingual teaching versus a group having regular, target-language-only teaching over a six-month period. Further, we assess whether and how proficiency in previously-acquired languages and phonological awareness affect learning gains in the plurilingual group. At the group level, the findings show that plurilingual instruction does not yield systematic differences compared to regular English instruction. Majority-language and minority-language students show comparable learning gains in standardized tests of receptive and productive vocabulary and receptive grammar in English. Regression analyses identify phonological awareness as a predictor of learning gains in the context of plurilingual foreign language learning. Further interactions with language background suggest that both proficiency in previously-acquired languages and metalinguistic skills modulate early foreign language learning and should be addressed in the classroom.

Multiagent Culture Algorithm-Based Interactive Design of College English Online Teaching Process.

Traditional educational techniques and conceptions no longer match the need of the society for talent training. It is due to the fact that educational reforms are deepening and more open interactive teaching models have begun to be gradually implemented in college English instruction. The method's innovation and reform can not only fully respect the students' dominating position but also entice students to devote themselves to the English classroom with greater zeal which is helpful in allowing for deeper knowledge discovery and thinking. This study has the motive to examine the interactive teaching mode's application tactics in college English classrooms, particularly with the goal of improving the effectiveness of English classroom teaching and promoting the high-quality growth of today's college students. Furthermore, in order to improve the interactivity of online English teaching in colleges and universities, this research proposes an intelligent conversation system based on multiagents to aid in the improvement of online teaching. Finally, using a public discourse corpus dataset for implementation, the proposed model proves to have better performance than existing state of the art approaches.

Student Centric Approach of the Content Based Instruction and Instructional Scaffolding

Teaching English as a second language expedites the probability of teaching English language in the utmost trying situations. The process of language instruction of English, as a second language. is a highly demanding skill. A number of challenges arise during the process as second language learners have fewer linguistic resources in the language of instruction. Content-Based Instruction lays a stress-free interactive platform for English language learners. Scaffolding students' learning is a possible way to overcome certain tasks that learners come across. Content-Based Instruction oriented teachers hold key responsibility for the implementation of language learning in a classroom condition. The English language is used as an instructional language not only to teach English language lessons in classrooms but also functional in delivering other subjects. The article deals with the English language learning principle through Content-Based Instruction along with the collaboration of scaffolding. The goal of the study mainly rests on the factors responsible for the successful implementation, the strategies, the prospect, and the advantages of language learning through the approach. Content-Based Instructors function as scaffolds offering support to the students to create more specific learning activities. Using scaffolding, Content-Based Instruction can approach the English language learners to promote themselves from what they are capable of doing at present to what they will be able to do later. Scaffolding is a promising teaching technique. It is an interaction promoting tool that promises to enhance speaking skills in second language learning English students. This paper intends to prove the usability features of scaffolding teaching technique in Content-Based Instruction promoting English language teaching, the characteristics and critical features of scaffolded Instruction, methods of instructional scaffolding, and the challenges and benefits of instructional scaffolding. The article ponders upon the importance of time and the preparation of the course of study undertaken by this technique and throws light on how the language facilitators face the challenges like the choice of the topic till the content reaches the language learner and is expected to go an extra mile in imparting the English language learners.

A Mobile Terminal-Based College English Teaching Evaluation Method

At the moment, the existing teaching evaluation system cannot be used for wireless data input and reception, limiting the system's application scope and making it less practical. As a result, a new system for evaluating college English teaching is being developed using a mobile terminal. The English teaching quality model is constructed using the Internet of Things mobile platform, and the network teaching structure is analyzed using the model parameters to monitor and control the teaching progress. A classification and evaluation system will be established in conjunction with the campus network and intelligent sensor networking technology. The development environment and overall design of the mobile terminal are used to create an evaluation system for English teaching in an Internet of Things environment. Create the critical architecture based on the B/S model. In the section on system software design, we mine data from English teaching resources, evaluate students’ progress toward English proficiency, and use convolutional neural networks to evaluate the quality of English teaching. The teaching results are output according to the distribution of convolutional layers, allowing us to analyze the level of English instruction in colleges and universities. Comparative experiments demonstrate that this research system has a higher information query efficiency, a lower convergent error of 4 ms, and a higher evaluation accuracy for oral English, English writing, and English reading.

The Implementation of TEYL in Indonesia Revisited: A Study at Primary Schools in Bandung

This study explored Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) implementation in elementary schools in Bandung, Indonesia. Surveys, interviews, observation, and document analysis were used to obtain data. The survey was distributed to 30 TEYL teachers from 30 schools within the region. Interviews were conducted with four teachers from four different schools. The data were triangulated and descriptively examined to assess TEYL in primary schools. The findings showed a mismatch between the government's policy on English instruction in primary schools and TEYL's implementation. In the 30 schools investigated, English was taught as local content in 21 schools (70%) and extracurricular in 7 schools (23%). Meanwhile, only 2 schools (7%) did not conduct English in their teaching-learning process. Due to the lack of government supervision, teachers are free to construct their own TEYL course content. According to the interviews, adopting TEYL is challenging due to varying teacher abilities and the availability of school’s infrastructure. The discussion suggests some recommendations on how to utilize the TEYL curriculum in Indonesian's primary schools effectively.

Factors Obstructing English Teaching Effectiveness: Teacher Voices from Thailand’s Deep South

Administering English language teaching (ELT) in rural settings of the three southern border provinces has been challenging for both teachers and learners due to two decades of political unrest, eruptions of violence, fears, and insecurity. To enhance ELT, this study aimed to investigate factors affecting the ineffectiveness of ELT in these three educational environments and introduce a new lens of contextualized English instructions for learners in schools located in Southernmost Thailand, where learners live amid linguistic and cultural diversity. In this qualitative study, data were collected from teachers operating in two schools of each province (totaling six institutions) by semi-structured interviews and analyzed by content analysis. Findings revealed that five primary factors deteriorating English language learning efficiency in the three southern border provinces were Implementation of Broad-Spectrum ELT Policies; Insufficient Teaching Integrations with Islamization; Inadequate Awareness of the Significance of English; Inconsistencies between ELT Textbooks and the Sociolinguistic Reality of English; and Impractical Classroom Arrangement. The findings could be beneficial if they are further utilized by the Ministry of Education in establishing policies for ELT in specific contexts as well as school administrators and teachers in formulating instructional approaches, managing learning resources, and arranging classrooms based on local needs and identities. Although this study has a specific spatial scope, which is the three southern border provinces of Thailand, its findings can be adapted for a broader application as a part of the global perspective and a clue to solve language learning problems across ELT communities encountering a similar challenge.

The Impact of the Flipped Classroom Teaching Model on EFL Learners’ Language Learning: Positive Changes in Learning Attitudes, Perceptions and Performance

Instruction in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning is a priority around the globe, but instructional methodologies have not always kept pace with the changing needs of learners. The traditional teacher-centered EFL classroom teaching model can no longer meet the needs of college EFL learners to strengthen and improve their language ability. For years, the flipped classroom teaching model has been widely recognized as an innovative and effective instructional method by language educators. Based upon the analysis of the current EFL teaching and learning situation and the flipped classroom teaching model, the author took two Artificial Intelligent classes from a Chinese public college as the participants in the experiment to explore the impact of the flipped classroom teaching model on their language learning. One Artificial Intelligent class, the Experimental Group (EG), adopted the flipped classroom teaching model in EFL class, and the other Artificial Intelligent class, the Control Group (CG), adopted the traditional teacher-centered method in EFL class. After the survey, implementation of different teaching models, pre-test and post-test comparison, learning time changing curve analysis, and analysis of learners’ acceptance of the new model, the study aims to find out the impact of the flipped classroom teaching model on college EFL learners’ language learning attitudes, perceptions and performance, providing some references for college EFL educators on their EFL teaching to a certain extent.

Effects of Strategy Instruction on Tertiary Students’ Attitudes towards Learning English Listening Skill: An Action Research Project in Vietnam

Strategy instruction has been proved as an effective method to enhance the listening ability and metacognition of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). However, little attention has been paid to how listening strategy instruction impacts the learners' attitudes towards their listening learning. This study investigated Vietnamese students' attitudes towards English listening learning after the two cycles of an action research project in which strategy instruction was employed as the intervention. A total of 30 English-majored freshmen students in a university in Vietnam expressed their attitudes through weekly diaries and focus-group interviews. The findings revealed that the students showed positive attitudes towards English listening learning in terms of all three aspects of attitudes, i.e., cognitive, behavioral, and effective. The results of the study suggest that teachers of English should implement strategy instruction in English listening classes to motivate their EFL learners. Moreover, collaboration with the teacher and among partners is advisable.

A Method of Improving Oral English Teaching Based on PLS-SEM

To improve the quality of oral English teaching, we must first analyze the factors that affect teaching. Second, it examines the relationship between these factors in order to aid the teaching staff’s oral English instruction and improve the learners’ oral English pronunciation. As a result, determining how to analyze the relationship between various factors in the process of oral English teaching is a problem that is still being worked on. In response to this issue, this paper proposes a partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method for improving oral English teaching. The central idea of this method is to first analyze and summarize all relevant factors affecting oral English teaching as thoroughly as possible. Second, the influencing factors are quantified into specific numerical data, and the data are subjected to a series of preprocessing steps. Third, the PLS-SEM model is trained, and the preprocessed data are fed into the statistical analysis. Finally, the relationship between the factors is summarized based on the statistical analysis results. This paper evaluates the PLS-SEM model in terms of reliability and validity in order to validate the effectiveness of the method used. The PLS-SEM model developed in this paper for improving oral English teaching has high reliability, validity, and explanatory power. This method-based oral English teaching strategy can improve students’ oral English levels and has a high practical application value.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IN ACTUARIAL EDUCATION QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN UKRAINE

Formulation of the problem. The paper is a contribution to the discussion of the importance of English proficiency for the actuarial profession in the present-day globalized world. Given the fact that the system of actuarial education in Ukraine is currently at the stage of its formation and hence relies greatly on the international standards set by actuarial organizations, we hypothesize that an English language is an effective tool of professional advancement not only for qualified professionals but also for aspiring actuaries. The study aims to investigate interdependencies between good English skills, the development of actuarial education in Ukraine, and attaining internationally recognized actuarial credentials by Ukrainian actuarial candidates as well as the promotion of the profession of an actuary in the country. Materials and methods. The current research utilizes the qualitative methods of the pedagogical theoretical analysis (curricula, legislative documents, scientific resources) and observations illustrating the practice of actuarial professionals` training in Ukraine and as well as the analysis of international actuarial organizations` internal reports and documents; the authors also employ the synthesis of pedagogical knowledge to draw up some practical recommendations on the improvement of actuarial education in Ukraine. Results. The paper is one of the first comprehensive attempts to analyze the role of English proficiency in aspiring actuaries` professional development in Ukraine and to work out some recommendations on the issue. Based on the analysis of the relevant sources we have identified that English mastery can bring the actuarial profession and education in Ukraine to a qualitatively new level. However, English skills are not considered to be a priority at the level of the national educational norms and regulations. We suggest that possible ways out are improved English instruction, cooperation with international actuarial organizations, and forming psychological readiness in delegates and professionals to speak professional English publicly. Conclusion. The role of English competence for actuarial professionals in Ukraine should be prioritized since the profession itself is regulated by the international standards guiding particular eligibility criteria to be recognized by the word actuarial community as a qualified actuary worldwide. We believe that the proposed recommendations will improve actuarial professional education and the existing language training and will help to bring the profession in general to a qualitatively new level.

Experiences of participation in everyday activities for people with stroke in Nairobi, Kenya

ABSTRACT Background Stroke is currently one of the greatest causes of disability and death in Kenya. Previous research indicates a lack of knowledge regarding how participation in everyday life is experienced after a stroke in Sub-Sahara Africa. Objectives The aim was to explore and describe experiences of participation in everyday life for people who had had a stroke living in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods A qualitative study design using semi-structured interviews with nine people who have had a stroke, together with their caregivers. The inclusion criteria were: 1) stroke diagnosis 2) no psychiatric diagnosis, and 3) ability to understand and respond to instructions in English, or local language. All participants were living in the community, members of the Stroke Association of Kenya, and participated voluntarily. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results The participants expressed their experiences of participation in everyday life, along with how resources and barriers affected their participation. Three categories were found:1) A sense of satisfaction at being involved in everyday life, 2) Challenges in doing everyday activities and social participation, and 3) Dependence as enabling or hindering participation. Conclusions After stroke, people’s experiences of participation in everyday life changed. Performing activities that the person found meaningful added a sense of increased participation and satisfaction. The experience of being dependent in everyday activities and finances appeared to reduce perceived participation. Participation in a group connected to a patient association with like-minded people contributed to a new role, and a sense of belonging.

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DYNED: ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENGLISH, LANGUAGE LEARNING ANXIETY, AND LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT

This study aims to find out the effectiveness of DynED on the secondary school English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ attitude towards English, their language anxiety, and language achievement. In doing this, scales and achievement test (n=119) were administered to secondary school EFL learners through employing an experimental/control group design. While the experimental group used DynED actively, the control group received regular in-class English instruction. The statistical analyses showed that there was no significant difference in students' attitudes, language anxiety, and language achievement between the control and experimental groups. Also, it was found out that the students' anxiety, attitude, and achievement did not vary significantly in relation to their gender and grade level. Therefore, synthesizing the literature on extramural English and third-space, this study has also offered practical suggestions for curriculum developers and teachers to promote DynED use for language learning/teaching.

Review of Pronunciation Instruction in English for Academic Purposes: An Investigation of Attitudes, Beliefs and Practices

Pronunciation Instruction in English for Academic Purposes: An Investigation of Attitudes, Beliefs and Practices by John Hodgetts, 2020, 267pp., $169.99 (Paperback). ISBN 9783030561185

Using L1 in the teaching of English as a foreign language

The recent discussion of the use of L1 in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) has now focused on how to use the L1 effectively. Most researchers and advocates agree that L1 use is inevitable because it is a natural part of language teaching activities. Although many have suggested that language educators should be able to use L1 in the classroom wisely and judiciously, not many researchers have done investigated the ideal way to use L1. Employing a qualitative approach, this research focuses on investigating the factors encouraging three English lecturers to use L1 during their teaching activities in an Indonesian university. A semi-structured interview was employed to collect the data and, then, the data was analyzed using the narrative analysis approach. The findings reveal that the three English lecturers use L1 in their teaching activities in the classroom depending on some basic factors. The factors encompass the students’ mood, English proficiency level of the students, level of subject difficulty, students’ motivation, and classroom atmosphere. The result of the study challenges the advocates who support the use of full English instruction in the classroom activity to reconsider their theory. It is suggested that a future study should be conducted in the same field by involving a bigger number of participants from different universities and employing more than one data collection method. In addition, a future investigation about the effect of L1 use on the students’ achievement is also worth conducting.

Culture in English Language Instruction: A Study of Moroccan High School Teachers’ Attitudes towards Intercultural Competence

Culture in English Language Instruction: A Study of Moroccan High School Teachers’ Attitudes towards Intercultural Competence

Levels of Enjoyment in Class Are Closely Related to Improved English Proficiency

This study investigated the factors, such as students’ foreign language enjoyment, their foreign language classroom anxiety, the teacher’s language choice (English-only instruction versus English instruction with limited legitimate Japanese support), and demographics that affect improvement in English proficiency in EFL communicative classes. Ninety-three college students in Japan participated in this research, for which they completed a questionnaire after the seventh lesson of 14 total lessons during a semester. In addition to t-tests, a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was performed using the dependent variable of the change in every student’s scores between the midterm and the final examination and six independent variables: age, gender, nationality, the teacher’s language choice, anxiety levels, and enjoyment levels. The results reveal that higher levels of enjoyment in class are significantly correlated with improvement in students’ English proficiency. The present study suggests that enjoyment levels, instead of anxiety levels, affect improvement in students’ English proficiency regardless of teachers’ language choices. Therefore, it is important for teachers to provide classes that are enjoyable for students by motivating and providing the students with activities in which they will succeed, thereby ensuring their self-confidence.
  

A Method of Monitoring and Evaluating the Quality of English Classroom Teaching Based on Big Data

To improve the reliability and accuracy of quality of English instruction in the classroom monitoring and assessment, as well as to reduce the time spent monitoring and evaluating the quality of English instruction in the classroom, a big data-based approach to monitor and evaluate the quality of English instruction in the classroom is proposed. A frequent itemset mining technique for quality of English instruction in the classroom monitoring data is built based on a study of the theoretical basis of big data and the features of quality of English instruction in the classroom monitoring data. To complete the data transformation of quality of English instruction in the classroom monitoring, the multivalued continuous attribute is quantified and turned into a two-dimensional Boolean data matrix. To mine the frequent itemsets of quality of English instruction in the classroom monitoring data, a frequent itemset mining algorithm based on the compressed matrix is applied. This work creates a quality of English instruction in the classroom evaluation model using the gray correlation method of multiobjective decision-making and weighted gray correlation analysis to realize the monitoring and evaluation of quality of English instruction in the classroom. The experimental results suggest that the proposed method is highly reliable and accurate and that it can significantly reduce the time spent monitoring and evaluating the quality of English classroom instruction.

Evaluation of Online English Learning Programs During the Covid 19 Pandemic Using the Cipp Model

This study aims to determine: (1) the effectiveness of online English learning program implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the context component (X1; (2) the effectiveness of online English learning program implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the input component (X2); and (3) the effectiveness of online English learning program implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the output component (X3). (4) the effectiveness of the online English learning program implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic from the product component; (5) the effectiveness of the implementation of online English learning programs during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the context (X1), inputs, processes, and product components; and (6) obstacles that impede the implementation of online English learning programs during the Covid-19. Data was gathered through the use of a questionnaire completed by 250 respondents. And the research sample consisted of 50 students chosen at random. after the data analysis results are transformed to a T-score and then enter the Glickman quadrant for evaluating the online English learning program's performance. The findings indicated that the CIPP score on the Glickman Quadrant (-+++) reflects a successful implementation of the online English learning program. They discovered a number of impediments to online English instruction, including the following: 1) Restrictions on media, network, or internet signals, as well as student internet quotas; and provision of customized internet quotas to assist students with specific learning requirements. 2) Student dissatisfaction with online education and a desire to meet in person on a permanent basis, comparable to the pre-pandemic era. 3) Due to the pandemic's prolonged presence, students' passion for studying has waned.

Analysis of Errors in Oral Production of French L3 Learners of Level A2 at a High School in Ecuador

The present study explores the possible sources of the most frequent errors in oral production of teenage native Spanish speakers who are learners of French and have also received instruction in English. To attain this objective, online oral interactions in an interview-like setting of 15 students of a private school of Quito and their teacher have been transcribed and analyzed in search of errors. The results show that the most frequent types of erroneous production have to do with form rather than content and do not represent a major impediment to communication. As for their causes, many errors seem to have their origin in the interference of the first or second language, while some others are independent from such languages since both overgeneralization and oversimplification of the target language rules have been recorded.