English Plus Research Articles

The study of World Englishes: Impulses from beyond linguistics

The paper argues that, in view of the current boom in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and related developments of globalisation, research on English as a World Language should pay more attention to economic factors. Sociolinguistic models of postcolonial English which emphasise speakers’ desires to express new local identities as the driving force behind the ongoing differentiation of English remain valid, but should be refined through engaging with work on the political economy of language and language planning. The potential benefits of such dialogue across disciplinary boundaries are illustrated in two brief case studies on English in India and in sub-Saharan Africa (where the focus is on recent realignments in the traditional English and French zones of linguistic influence). The paper concludes that establishing English as the global lingua franca for a multilingual world and for multilingual speakers makes economic and political sense for the 21st century world. Multilingualism of the ‘English Plus X’ type should also be embraced by global citizens whose native language is English.

Exploration of “English Plus” teaching mode under the background of blockchain construction

Abstract English is the most widely used language in the world. For Chinese students, fluent English will have a positive impact on their future study and work. However, with the progress and development of science and technology, the traditional college English education model can no longer meet the needs of the current social development, so it is necessary to use advanced teaching methods such as information technology, intelligence and big data to improve the teaching quality. The inclusion of blockchain technology in the category of local innovation is the official start of the central government’s promotion for the development and application of blockchain technology in China. Under this background, big data, as a new technology, can effectively improve the teaching efficiency of college English and promote the comprehensive development of college students. This paper analyses the problems existing in college English teaching and discusses the innovative strategies of college English teaching combined with the wide application of big data.

An analysis of ELT coursebooks in terms of 21st century skills

With the advances in innovation in the 21st century, the abilities needed to be effective in life have extensively changed. English, as a school subject, has assumed a main part in executing large numbers of the instructive changes and new methodologies in teaching since it is a worldwide language. Coursebooks, being a significant part of the educating and learning measure, impressively affect joining new methodologies into their schedules. Therefore, the current study aims to examine the 4Cs of 21st Century Skills – communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, in English language teaching coursebooks. In view of this reason, a qualitative method – content analysis design – was employed. The data was collected through internal and external evaluation checklists, which were developed based on related literature and field experts’ opinions. The scope of the study was three 9th grade coursebook series designed by international publishing companies, namely English Plus by Oxford University, Excel by Express Publishing and Fall Blast by MM Publications. These coursebooks were chosen because these books are chosen by MES of RK and used in all schools. As the researcher works at school and teachers the 9th grade namely the 9th grade is taken for this study.  According to the results of the study, it has been revealed that each coursebook series includes the 21st century skills to some extent mostly in project, speaking and writing tasks. According to the findings it was also revealed that there are limited number of outcomes in relation to creativity, responsibility, social and flexibility and adaptability skills. Furthermore, there are not any outcomes related to information literacy, innovation, problem-solving, media literacy, ICT, cross-cultural skills, productivity and accountability, initiative and self-direction and leadership. Keywords: 21st сentury sills, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, coursebook analysis, evaluation, ELT coursebooks.

THE MISSING PIECE OF THE PUZZLE: ARTICLES IN ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL EFL TEXTBOOKS

When it comes to article instruction in the EFL context no one is exempt from struggling with the process: neither the teachers, nor the students. Issues emerge not only because of the discrepancy between the students’ L1 and L2, but also because of the limited information contained in the textbooks pertaining to article suppliance. The rules found in textbooks mostly boil down to features related to noun type, and the potential accompanying article distribution patterns. However, focusing on only the morphosyntactic features of nouns, with little or no reference to the contextualized setting, further convolutes the issue. Taking into consideration the general lack of data pertaining to the teaching of articles in the early stages of EFL acquisition, this study investigates how articles are presented and practised in elementary-school EFL textbooks. A corpus of 20 textbooks was compiled (the English Plus, Messages, To the Top, Project and Discover English courses), recently approved for use in grades 5 to 8 by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, for qualitative analysis. The results show which features of article use (Quirk et al. 1985) are (under)represented in the EFL textbooks, which types of examples (contextualized vs stand-alone) predominate, whether article-oriented exercises vary across grades and their respec- tive textbooks, and what this tells us about current practices of article instruction. In line with the obtained results, changes are proposed to teaching articles in the Serbian EFL classroom.

Thai School Teachers’ Preparedness and Perceptions of More-English-in-schools (MEIS) Policy

As far as English language ability is concerned, Thailand has a lot of room for improvement. Efforts to boost Thailand’s language skills abound. In this study, Thai school teachers in two primary schools were asked to answer questionnaires on their English language use in their schools, their preparedness, and their perceptions of the policy to add more English into the schools. Twenty-three school teachers from two schools participated in the study. The data collection was done in March 2018. Those school teachers participated in the English Plus Program (EPP) workshops, aiming to equip them with concepts and techniques to add more English elements in their classes and their schools. The teachers underwent six hours of training. At the end of the workshops, they were asked to reflect on the lessons and answer the questionnaires. It was found that the majority of the school teachers perceived themselves to be moderately prepared for the MEIS policy. They believed it was a useful policy and recognized the role of support from the students’ parents, the community, as well as the school administrators.

TEACHERS’ VIEW OF LANGUAGE(S) IN (CLIL) SCIENCE EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY IN PORTUGAL

The development of meaningful environments at school for the learning of Science as well as of foreign languages is an educational concern. CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), aimed at the students’ acquisition of both the foreign Language and specific subject Content, is an approach that may promote the learning of English in use during subject classes and could result in the improvement of conditions and practices of Science education. Research, actually, reveals that teaching methodologies aware of language – such as CLIL – and other semiotic modes implied in Science are beneficial for the learning of Science. Studying a CLIL programme (“English Plus” project, EP), in which Science is taught/learnt with/in English, is thus relevant. A case study on the EP project and its participants (English and Science teachers, students involved in different school years) in one lower secondary state school in Portugal was carried out. In the present research, qualitative data collected through teacher interviews are presented and discussed, with the goal of understanding the role of Language(s) (verbal language in the mother tongue or English and other representation modalities) in the teaching of Science for EP teachers, both in conventional and project classes. A greater teacher awareness and use of Language(s), when an additional language (English, here) is also present for Science education, results from this work. This contributes to research on CLIL Science studies and teacher reflections on adopting a language-focused approach for Science education, also when the mother tongue is spoken. Keywords: CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), EFL (English as a foreign language), language-focused science education, qualitative design, reflections on teaching.

The content analysis of English textbooks for primary schools – teaching pronunciation

The main objective of the study is the content analysis of textbooks frequently used to teach English at primary schools with the focus on teaching pronunciation. The relevant series of English Plus and Project (Oxford University Press) and MORE! (Cambridge University Press) are studied. Their pronunciation exercises are analysed according to their focus on the phonic level (segmental or suprasegmental), form of work (individual, pair, group, whole-class) and a teaching technique. The results revealed that the suprasegmental subsystem is preferred in the textbooks and there is a preponderance of drill technique. Pair work and whole class involvement are given preference in the textbook exercises.

What Students Tell Teachers about Practices that Integrate Subjects with English in a Lower Secondary School in Portugal

Abstract CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is an approach thought to provide, mainly during Content (non-language, subject) classes, a meaningful environment at school for the use and learning of a foreign language (FL), and may also improve conditions and practices of the specific subject. Moreover, CLIL can represent a research context to gauge the importance of language-aware teaching as is the case with the Portuguese “English Plus” project (EP), in which History and Science are taught/ learnt with/in English at lower secondary school. Our doctoral research is designed as a descriptive-explanatory case study on the EP project and its participants (English and Science teachers, former and current students). More specifically, this work focuses on students and shows their relationship with the EP approach and (dis)advantages in learning a subject with a FL. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and interview, with subsequent content analysis. The importance of “integrated learning” and of diverse strategies used by the teacher to support/scaffold learning is present in students’ perspectives which may further influence teaching practices

FROM ENGLISH PLUS TO ENGLISH 1 AND 2: ASSESSING TRANSFER OF GRAMMAR SKILLS

This paper explores the effectiveness of grammar skills transfer from English Plus to English 1 & 2. English Plus is meant to address the English Language deficiency of incoming freshmen by providing them enabling skills to cope with college. It aimed to address the lack of readiness of entrants, through the improvement of crucial language skills, particularly grammar and usage. The research used the descriptive-evaluative method. It was anchored on the Constructivist’s Paradigm: “individuals construct new knowledge from their experiences, either by accommodation or assimilation (Microsoft Encarta,2007”) It was found out that nowhere in the evaluation did it appear that the English Plus takers even approximated the competencies of the non-takers. This means that English Plus has in fact no carry-over effect on students taking English 1 and 2. This means further that English Plus takers were NOT able to integrate or apply learning of English grammar in this college course as evidenced by the disparity in the scores of the two sets of respondents. It is therefore recommended that specific measures be undertaken to improve the implementation of the English Plus – to provide coping skills and to ensure that there is indeed assimilation of learning . Keywords: English plus, Grammar, Skills Transfer

From English-Only to Multilingualism: English in the Language Policy of the United States

Focusing on English, this paper presents a critical review of the long-standing controversial education language policies and language movements in the United States. This paper seeks to provide an in-depth perception of the history of English in courtse of national development of the United States which helps interpret today’s English-only monolingualism in ESL classrooms. Through the analysis of the major disputes of whether to have English as the official language of the country, this study has offered detailed accounts of the process of language policy planning during the years of “English Officialization”, “Bilingual Education” and “English Plus”. The study hopes to shed some light on understanding how to create, sustain, or reduce a language policy in education while also presenting the struggles in the areas for political and economic participation, democracy, and human rights. This study also attmpts to analyse complexities of the debates of eduation language policies and the theoretical breakthroughs in foreign language teaching that could create a justifiable space for multilingual learners to learn through their mother tongues. The paper argues that the monolingual approach for Enlgish language learning should be rejected because it denies students the right to draw on their language resources according to the sociocultural theory in language learning. Further recommendations to language policy planning are provided for further promoting the multiculturalist perspective, and pedagogical suggestions were also provided for ESL teachers to rethink about classroom language use.

Development and Evaluation of a Teaching Guide in English Plus

The study devised a teacher-made test to identify the needs and difficulties of the students in English Plus and the results were utilized to revise and enrich the syllabus. The descriptive – evaluative method was employed in this research. A teacher-made test was administered to 200 students selected by random sample. Content analysis of the syllabi of the professors and instructors were used as basis in constructing the teacher-made test. The areas under the English Proficiency Test in the SSC Admission Test were also considered. Results of the study revealed that naming words, word groups and paragraph organization are areas with performance level (PL) of 0-49 and are considered as difficult while areas like vocabulary, modifiers and verbs with (PL) of 50-75 are considered as nearly difficult. These results are the basis of the revised and enriched syllabus. It is concluded that almost all competencies in the areas cited were all considered as needs and difficulties of the English Plus students. Thus, there is the need for the inclusion of these competencies in the syllabus and an outline of a teaching guide. Keywords - Teaching guide, English plus, syllabus

Assessing Voter Attitude Toward Language Policy Issues in the United States

Two exploratory studies, Bilingual Education and Voter Intent: Colorado 2002, and The Language Policy Attitude Scale (LPAS) Study, investigated the attitudes of registered voters toward selected language policy issues in the United States. In both studies, the Language Policy Attitude Scale (LPAS) consistently measured Cronbach’s α > 0.8, despite disparities between the two samples in age, education, and political ideology and party. Logit regression analysis of the 2002 data identified the LPAS as the strongest predictor variable of voting intention among those variables tested. Most respondents in the two studies supported both English as the national language of the United States, and the public use of other languages in the United States, thereby providing evidence within the American voting public for support of English Plus rather than strict assimilationism. This research provides insight for language educators, formulators of language policy, and language planning and policy researchers.

Translation after 9/11

Commenting on the judicial scandal of the conviction of Mohammed Yousry, the official translator for the mastermind behind the first World Trade Center bombing, Emily Apter argues that translators occupy an increasingly dangerous position in the post-9/11 world. Through her analysis of the trial and the accompanying controversy on translation, she shows that translators are assumed to have divided loyalties and the ability to move incognito among language communities that touch but do not cohere. Hence, Yousry’s case reveals how translators become scapegoats in the culture and language wars over migration and Islam in the aftermath of 9/11. In accordance with her recently published book The Translation Zone: A New Comparative Literature, she pleads for an “English Plus” movement that might thwart the drive to monolingualization, cultural isolationism, and political unilateralism, which characterize current policies of the United States.

Language Policy and Identity Politics in the United States

Language Policy and Identity Ronald Schmidt, Sr. Politics in the United States by Press, 2000, Philadelphia: Temple University 282 pp. Reviewed by Aneta Pavlenko Temple University In his influential study astutely noted that nations are on the rise and spread of nationalism, Anderson ( 1 99 1 imagined communities and that in modem times in, or, these conmiunities are conceived in language, not in blood (p. 145). Indeed, the decision about which language or languages the nation should be conceived more often, whether there should be more than one language, can be a source of a heated conflict and public unrest. Ronald Schmidt's Language Policy and Identity Politics in the United States offers a comprehensive discussion of the language policy conflict in the United States, where in the past three decades language has emerged as a highly emotional and volatile political issue. The text has two main goals: to examine all sides of the U.S. language policy conflict and to offer an approach to language policy which could both meet the criteria of justice for lan- guage minority members and ensure the common good for the whole country. The author also has an additional aim: to demonstrate that the conflict over language is not about language as such but about what kind of political community to and wish add identity. be (p. 183). From the perspective of applied linguistics, we are we can also that this study focuses on the role of language in the construction of national The book opens with an introduction and is then divided into three sections. The introduction examines the premises of two conflicting approaches to U.S. language policy: linguistic assimilationism and linguistic pluralism. The ranks of assimilationists include the supporters of the English Only and anti-bilingual edu- cation movements, such as well-known writer Richard Rodriguez or California billionaire Ron Unz, who spearheaded California's anti-bilingual education bill, Proposition 227. Assimilationists seek policies that will ensure the status of En- glish as the country's only official language. In contrast, pluralists, among them many prominent linguists, educators, and supporters of the English Plus move- ment, favor using the state to enhance the status and presence of minority lan- guages. The over the first section, entitled The Issues and the Context, sets the background for the discussion and traces the evolution of the U.S. language policy debates Language Policies in Conflict: An Over- view, outlines three key areas of disagreement between assimilationists and plu- last three decades. Chapter ralists: (1) educational policy for language minority children, (2) access to civil Issues in Applied Linguistics ISSN 1050-4273 Vol. 12 No. 2, Regents of the University of Califomia

Non-Native Educators in English Language Teaching

Contents: Preface. G. Braine, Introduction. Part I: Who We Are. J. Thomas, Voices From the Periphery: Teachers and Issues of Credibility. G. Braine, From the Periphery to the Center: One Teacher's Journey. U.N. Connor, Learning to Write Academic Prose in a Second Language: A Literacy Autobiography. X-M. Li, Writing From the Vantage Point of an Outsider/Insider. C. Kramsch, W.S.E. Lam, Textual Identities: The Importance of Being Non-Native. Part II: Sociopolitical Concerns. A.S. Canagarajah, Interrogating the Speaker Fallacy: Non-Linguistic Roots, Non-Pedagogical Results. N. Amin, Minority Women Teachers of ESL: Negotiating White English. M. Oda, English Only or English Plus? The Language(s) of EFL Organizations. Part III: Implications for Teacher Education. K.K. Samimy, J. Brutt-Griffler, To Be a Native or Speaker: Perceptions of Non-Native Students in a Graduate TESOL Program. L.D. Kamhi-Stein, Preparing Professionals in TESOL: Implications for Teacher Education Programs. J. Liu, From Their Own Perspectives: The Impact of ESL Professionals on Their Students. P. Medgyes, Language Training: A Neglected Area in Teacher Education. D. Liu, Training TESOL Students: Challenges for TESOL Teacher Education in the West.

Nativism Reborn? The Official English Language Movement and the American States.

In July 1992 Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) angrily suggested during floor debate... the United States should not continue accepting immigrants mho speak no English. pick up the telephone and call the local garage, Byrd said. can't understand the person on the other side of the line. I'm not sure he can understand me. They're all over the place, and they don't speak English. We want more of this? Later he apologized for the remark, saying, regret in the heat of the moment I spoke unwisely.Is America in the midst of another backlash against foreigners? In the wide-ranging controversy over multiculturalism has generated much heat in recent years, one of the most volatile issues is whether the United States should reflect a dominant English-speaking majority or encourage a multilingual culture.Tied up with this emotional issue is a growing anxiety on the part of many Americans about the new wave of non-European immigrants. is not without significance, says S.I. Hayakawa, who was a founder of U.S. English, that pressure against English language legislation does not come from any immigrant group other than the Hispanic: not from the Chinese or Koreans or Filipinos or Vietnamese; nor from immigrant Iranians, Turks, Greeks, East Indians, Ghanians, Ethiopians, Italians, or Swedes.Raymond Tatalovich has conducted the first detailed, systematic, and empirical study of the official English movement in the United States, seeking answers to two crucial questions: What motivations underlie the agitation for official English? Does the movement originate at the grassroots level or is it driven by elites?Since 1980, fifteen states have passed laws establishing English as the official language -- Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Three more laws, in Hawaii, Illinois, and Nebraska, predate the current agitation. The official language laws in ten of the states are wholly symbolic, but in the remaining eight they go beyond symbolism to stipulate some kind of enforcement. Four states have passed English Plus laws -- New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. In addition some major cities -- Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, San Antonio, Tucson, and Washington, D.C. -- have also adopted English Plus laws or resolutions.Tatalovich hypothesized five possible motivations for the official English movement: race (hostility of the majority toward a minority), ethnicity (conflict between minori-ties), class (reaction by lower socioeconomic groups), politics (partisan or ideological backlash), and culture (anti-foreign sentiment).His analysis is based on an eclectic range of sources, from historical documents, legal records, and court decisions to news accounts and interviews. In many southern states where the issue has recently assumed prominence, he found support for the initiative is identified as a residue of nativism. Tatalovich empirically shows linkage between support today for official English and opposition in the South to immigration in the 1920s.This study not only is definitive but also is a dispassionate analysis of an issue seems destined to become even more controversial in the next few years. It makes a notable contribution to the current debate over multiculturalism and will be of special interest to sociologists, historians of contemporary social history, linguists, legal scholars, and political scientists who study public policy, minority politics, and comparative state politics.

ENGLISH PLUS: ISSUES IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION. Courtney B. Cazden and Catherine E. Snow (Eds.). The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Volume 508, March 1990.

ENGLISH PLUS: ISSUES IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION. Courtney B. Cazden and Catherine E. Snow (Eds.). The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Volume 508, March 1990.

English Plus

AbstractThe debate continues over whether the primacy of English should be enshrined in the U.S. constitution. Here, it takes the form of ‘language restrictionism’ versus ‘English plus at least one other language’ for every citizen who so chooses.