Need For English Teachers Research Articles

An anti-racist English education

ABSTRACT In this conceptual article we offer a vision and a manifesto for an anti-racist English education, focusing particularly on language. Locating our work with anti-racist efforts in the UK, we conduct a brief historical reflection of these efforts, before turning our attention to the current politico-economic context and making a case for the urgent need for English teachers and teacher educators to commit to anti-racism within their work. We then outline what contemporary anti-racist efforts in English education might look, sound, and feel like. We argue for a greater attention to intersectional positionalities and activism in English education. We argue for anti-racist language policies which work in dialogue with other broader anti-racist efforts. We argue for the need to pay attention to specific contexts and racialised dynamics of institutions and local communities. We argue for anti-racist pedagogical stances which seek to sustain the language practices of marginalised children. Finally, we end with some clarifications and warn against seeing our manifesto as a reductive, tick-box exercise.

Teacher Centered Method Vs Student Centered Method of Teaching in Teaching English: Critical Study

In Albania after 90s when the system changed, country was opened to the world and the need to learn English was seen as e necessity for many people. The English curricula was introduced to the education system starting from elementary schools. By being a population that loves foreign languages and by being closed for more than fifty years we were eager to communicate with western world. English was seen as a priority. People were watching more English programs, movies, songs etc. Many students were starting private courses in English. By 2000 many people could speak, write and understand good English. They are supplied with good knowledge of English. This increased demand in learning English was followed by a need for English teachers too. During the communist regime the main method used to teach was teacher centered method, but with passing of time, other more modern methods were introduced in the world. One of them was student centered method.
 
 Received: 27 September 2023 / Accepted: 22 October 2023 / Published: 23 November 2023

Summer English Camp in China: Importance of Relationships in English Language Learning

With business relations and international travel on the rise between China and English-speaking countries, the need for English teachers in China has also increased. One method of teaching English in China occurs through summer English camps. The research presented here examines the teacher, camp coordinator, student, and parent experience with a three-week summer English camp for kindergarten through grade eight students hosted by an international school in China. The objective of the study is to describe the lived experiences from the perspective of the various partners to examine whether the curriculum adequately meets their needs, whether children are improving their English skills, and whether the teachers are sufficiently prepared for their experiences. Findings suggest that all participants indicate a high level of satisfaction with the summer camp, especially the importance of relationships in English language learning. Some of the expressed concerns lead to recommendations for improvements. In this study, the practice of the summer English camp is linked to the current English as an additional language research, making this research relevant to a broad international audience. Not only are summer English camps in high demand in China, but in other countries around the world as well.

Teachers’ Teaching Reflection: English Teachers’ Challenges in Rural Areas of Indonesia

Issues about education in the urban areas and rural areas are crucial in the Indonesian context. The reason is the differentiation of the quality of the Indonesia education across the country because of those areas. During their practice, English teachers in that area face many limitations that hinder the process of teaching and learning. This case study aimed to explore two English teachers’ challenges in teaching in rural areas of Indonesia and how they overcome those challenges to maximize their role as a teacher through their teaching reflection on interview and document analysis. This is significant for giving the teachers’ views on facing the challenges in every condition of teaching English and for giving a picture to the government about the real condition of teaching English in the rural areas. The result showed that English teachers tried to deal with their own teaching condition and institution, their students, and socio-cultural conditions around them. As the solution, teachers overcome those problems by strengthening their roles as a teacher and understanding social pedagogy. However, there is still a need for English teachers to get more training related to their job in teaching English in rural areas.

The Washback Influence on College English in China

College English in China is an intricate subject. Besides helping their students to learn and eventually understand English, teachers must expose their students to their upcoming standardized test(s) which they need to pass to graduate. Thus, making the balance between teaching the language and teaching the test much more complicate. Suggested by many researchers (Li, 2009; Zhan & Andrew, 2014; Jin & Yan, 2006), a college English teacher need to truly be aware of what one is teaching, what does one want his or her students learn from this course are the critical issue while composing one’s lesson plan. This research aims to figure out how does college teachers think about those standardized tests, such as CET-4, and how do they adapt their teaching methods and process according to the complicated circumstance under the system. Supported by the theories and conclusions of many other researches on this topic, this research would like to go over and discuss some phenomenon with actual college English teachers in Guangzhou. By interviewing with some college English teachers and going to their classes, the discussions and observations are valuable to solve the issue of what is the most optimal way to design and teach a college English course.

BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES WHEN USING THE TECHNIQUE OF ROLE-PLAYING IN SPEAKING EXERCISES IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The aim of this paper is to show the complete experiences, both benefits and challenges that A2 level students have when using role-plays in learning English as a foreign language. The respondents included in the survey consist of two groups of students: teenagers aged 12 to 15 (36 of them) and first-year students (38 of them) at the Department of Applied and Fine Arts of the University of Kragujevac (aged 18 up to 20 years). The teenage students attended an English language course at a private school in Kragujevac and were preparing for the international A2 knowledge test of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge A2 test also known as KEY (KET) in its pre-2020 version. In part 3 (conversation), task 2, the knowledge of those taking the test is assessed by means of a kind of a role play. Role-play is organized in pairs where both members of the pair have an equal chance to ask questions and provide information in predetermined situations that are partially structured. The task of the students was to play a role, to understand the situation and to express themselves in an adequate way both linguistically and in accordance with communicative competences. It was noticed that the students did not or to a lesser extent met with such activities, that their motivation for learning was higher than usu- al during and after the activities. There was also a gradual reduction of stage fright and fear of public speaking. On the other hand, the challenges that the examinees faced were the inability to form sentences grammatically correctly, especially questions, that they lack everyday vocabu- lary, as well as that they often sound unnatural and not polite enough. Some respondents could not avoid using their native language for more than a few seconds or not make long pauses in communication using postman’s sticks. Pedagogical implications of this research are the need for English teachers to systematically, and for a longer period, devote at least part of the lesson to such activities with the aim of relieving students of nervousness, activating knowledge and preparing for the challenges of the 21st century and the international circumstances of the use of the English language. We hope that this is one of a series of further investigations on similar topics that will give us better insight into how to improve learners’ communicative competence of English as a foreign language.

Integrating hyperreal literature with CALL in English language curriculum for engineering studies in India: an empirical study of the impact on students’ learning

PurposeScholarship on language teacher knowledge and critical digital literacy. Using a grounded theory approach, semi-structured online presentations of students, classroom observations and their responses to multimedia tools such as movies and literature were analysed. As part of the study, 150 students pursuing undergraduate degree in engineering were assigned two assignments involving science fiction movies and hyperreal literature as part of an experiential strategy. A survey was conducted before and after the study to evaluate the change in students’ perception towards the use of technology and multimedia in language classrooms as well as their awareness of technological dependency in the postmodern world. The findings show that student cognition of AI and technological dependency is a complex and emergent system, and that, despite current literacy education scholarship stressing digital literacy as a social and critical praxis, technology is treated in a mostly functional, rather than a critical manner in a standard university language classroom. The results of this study suggest that the disadvantages of a realistic approach to teaching digital composition can be avoided by creating other forms of educational materials that adhere to critical digital literacies sense, such as posthuman literary works and science fiction film.Design/methodology/approachThis study is primarily qualitative and empirical, focussing on the analysis of student responses to classroom assignments and semi-structured online presentations and responses to multimedia tools such as movies and online literature. A pilot study was performed among the engineering students of Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India, to better understand engineering students’ perceptions and attitudes towards teaching English as a second language using emerging technology, with the aim of improving language abilities, writing skills, imagination and overall personality. One hundred and fifty (150) students were assigned two assignments as part of an experiential strategy. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft Teams was used as the platform for assessment and observation. As part of their learning challenge, students were required to watch the movies “Her”, “Interstellar” and “Bandersnatch” and write a technical report outlining some of the major observations on technology and AI. Secondly, as part of their learning challenge, students were required to read Oliver Sacks’ “The Machine Stops” and comment on his perspectives on technological dependency. This was supplemented by assessment tests and assignments focussing on the digital nature of the global education system. Another survey was conducted at the end of the study to evaluate the change in students’ perception towards the use of technology and multimedia in language classrooms as well as their awareness of technological dependency in the postmodern world. Owing to the posthuman and hyperreal nature of the movies and texts, students were introduced to the theories of Marshall McLuhan and Jean Baudrillard to better understand the chosen works.FindingsIn the posthuman era, where digital technologies are at their peak, English language teachers select appropriate teaching resource materials based on the needs of the students and do their utmost to combine them with technology to make their teaching more engaging and efficient. Thanks to the current craze for Digital Humanities, not just English language teaching but also literature classroom teaching has experienced several paradigm shifts. This has raised the need for English teachers and professionals on the job market. Given this context, and in particular, to raise knowledge among engineering students of their critical position in the literary job sector, two tasks were assigned to students in the Language Classroom. These tasks included integrating technology into language studies and literature, instilling imagination, honing literary skills and facilitating the development of a comprehensive approach to life and potential endeavours.Originality/valueAs evident from the study and literature review, the introduction of emerging technology in Language Classrooms has grown in popularity, but it has yet to be incorporated into Language Classrooms that focus on the comprehensive development of students, especially in India. Furthermore, proof of interactions between digital learning and teaching practices and anticipated results, effects and impacts was gathered to make the Language Classroom more social, inspiring and engaging, but little more. As a result, we see a lot of potential for research in this field, particularly concerning the most recent language studies advancements about Digital Humanities.

Performing identity: identity formation in the teenage live theatre audience

ABSTRACT Can traditional live theatre affect the identity formation of teenagers? Drawing upon a six-year, qualitative study of Canadian, independent school live theatre audiences and a review of identity formation and audience studies, this paper offers three findings of interest to high school English teachers. These speak to the need for English teachers to design their programme of theatre-going in light of students’ digital habitus, to establish protocols around cellphone use, and to explore with students the defining characteristics of both digital media and live theatre. The paper concludes by suggesting the potential for live theatre to contribute positively to student’s identity formation at a time when digital media is pervasive.

EFFECTIVENESS OF METACOGNITION-BASED READING ENRICHMENT PROGRAM TO STUDENTS READING COMPREHENSION

The main focus of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the metacognition-based reading enrichment program to the students reading comprehension. The pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design which falls under the quasi-experimental design was used. On the test of significant difference between the formative test mean scores of the experimental and comparison groups, it was found out that the formative tests had significant effect to the respondents reading comprehension. Moreover, based on the computed Cohens d value, the lessons have a small top medium effect size. It was revealed that there is a significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and comparison groups at 0.01 level of significance. Moreover, based on the computed Cohens d value of 0.98, the effect size of the metacognition-based reading enrichment program to the students reading comprehension based on the posttest is large. There is a significant difference between the formative test mean scores of the students in the comparison and experimental group under the metacognition-based reading enrichment program. Furthermore, Cohens effect size values suggested a small to medium practical significance. There is a significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the students in the comparison and experimental group under the metacognition-based reading enrichment program. Furthermore, Cohens effect size value (d=0.98) suggested a substantial effect of the metacognition-based reading enrichment program to the respondents reading comprehension. As for the recommendations, it was noted that there is a need for English teachers to integrate the instruction of metacognitive strategies, as it helps in improving students reading comprehension.

Online Teaching in Writing by Means of Slack Application

This study deals with online teaching by using ICT in teaching writing skill. This study aimed in investigating the activity of the teacher, the teacher’s perception, and students’ perception to the process of teaching online by means of slack application in students writing skill. A qualitative design with a case study approach was employed in this study by conducting classroom observations and interviews to collect the data regarding the use and the impact of slack application in teaching writing by the teachers in EFL classrooms. The participant of this study were the students at one of senior high school in Tasikmalaya. In analyzing the data, multiple sources of data collection commonly known as triangulation as purposed was employed. The findings showed that the teacher used four steps in optimizing slack application in an online teaching writing. Introducing, memorizing and giving feedback were the strategy in teaching online by using slack application in classroom. This study suggested that English teacher need to apply Online Application as a system and tools to support the teacher in how they give a task, planning, and empowering in their teaching practices.

EMERGING NEED TO RETHINK ENGLISH LANGUAGE PEDAGOGIES IN INDIAN TECHNICAL EDUCATION: CREATIVE PEDAGOGY A BETTER APPROACH FOR VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION

Purpose of the study: The present paper underlines the emerging need for English teachers to customize or introduce productive changes in prevailing pedagogies of vocabulary instruction in engineering classrooms. It places the creative teaching pedagogy as a better solution and lays impetus on the teacher’s innovation in preparing resources to help students organize lexical items into apposite contexts while writing and speaking. Methodology: The paper identifies some of the creative methods of vocabulary instruction. This identification is based on the experiments conducted to facilitate the vocabulary instruction to the engineering students at the main campus of IKG Punjab Technical University, Kapurthala. These procedures are of ample significance for the students pursuing engineering or technical education. Main Findings: The outcome of experiments and interactions with students emphasizes the wide range of current and contextual significance of creative pedagogy for teaching vocabulary to engineering students. The significance of a teacher's creativity and his/her active participation in vocabulary instruction is accentuated. The problem of the creation of resources that would train students to build up their language ability is also dealt with. Application of this study: As the paper addresses the issue of building up the language ability of students of technical education to improve their employability, its applicability is extended beyond the disciplines of English Language teaching and technical education. This study and its utility can very well be customized and extended to different disciplines as well. Originality/Novelty of this study: The usefulness of creative teaching pedagogy has not been fully realized because of the teachers’ reluctance to think inventively. The present study is new in the sense that it will enable teachers to adapt to creative teaching pedagogy, identify appropriate creative pedagogical techniques and innovatively adjust their teaching practices to suit diverse classes.

Understanding Motivational Fluctuations among Young Rural EFL Learners : A Longitudinal Case Study

This three-year longitudinal study examines Taiwanese rural junior high school students’ motivational changes regarding learning English. The same questionnaire measuring their levels of motivation was conducted throughout five semesters across three school years. Seven motivational aspects, including intrinsic, extrinsic, task value, control beliefs, self-efficacy, expectancy and test anxiety, were measured each semester. The overall findings suggest that these rural students started with higher levels of intrinsic, extrinsic and task-related motivation compared to the other motivational aspects; also that girls generally presented higher motivation levels than boys. More generally, students reported mild-to-low level motivation, which indicated that rural students’ EFL motivation would decrease during their school years. The results suggest both English teacher and homeroom teacher appear to play vital roles in affecting rural students’ motivation. Such findings signal a need for English teachers and educational authorities to reconsider the methods used for both developing and improving rural students’ motivation to learn English throughout their junior high school years. Other factors, including gender and English engagement after school, were also found to be effective. This study also suggests practical recommendations for English learning and teaching in rural Taiwanese high schools, which may be effective in other EFL contexts.

A Descriptive Analysis of the Metacognitive Reading Strategies Employed by EFL College Students in Kuwait

The study measured the awareness and use of metacognitive reading strategies among English as a foreign language (EFL) students at a medical college in Kuwait. The college offers a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). Data collection involved distributing the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI) online through Google Forms to a sample of 80 students (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2002). Data were analyzed for strategy use, variations in strategy use between the BSN and ADN students, and the most and the least frequently-used strategies by the participating students. Microsoft Excel software generated the means, percentages, rankings, and standard deviations of strategy use. Findings indicated that the participating students were overall highly aware of metacognitive reading strategies. Moreover, the results showed that while the participating students were high users of problem-solving and global strategies, they were medium users of support strategies. The results also indicated that years of studying English showed a possible impact on the variations in strategy use between the participating students at the BSN and ADN programs. Finally, the analysis revealed that while the most frequently-used strategies among the participants were problem-solving strategies followed by global strategies, the least frequently-used strategies were support strategies. Implications for pedagogy included the need for English teachers to first identify their students’ awareness of metacognitive reading strategies. Second, English teachers can implement evidence-based instruction to maximize the use of students’ metacognitive reading strategies.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CURRICULUM 2013 FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH AT THE TENTH GRADE STUDENTS OF MA NEGERI TARAKAN IN ACADEMICYEARS 2018/2019

The research design of this research was case study. The research objects of this research were the English teacher at the tenth grade and the head master of MA Negeri Tarakan. The technique of collecting data in this research used three instruments there were: observation sheet, interview, and document analysis. The result of this research is curriculum 2013 in MA Negeri Tarakan has already implemented but not running well. The implementation of curriculum 2013 only 60 percent that implement in the class; the English teacher need to understand the authentic assessment and all of items in scientific approach. In conducting teaching and learning process the English teacher could teach based on lesson plan but it was not effective. Then, the problems that the English teacher faced in implementation of curriculum 2013 in teaching preparation mostly in preparing media that would be use in teaching process because lack of facility in the classroom, in making written preparation especially on lesson plan the English teacher need to make the appropriate indicator with the syllabus because the indicator is very important to measure the students’ ability. In teaching and learning process the teacher have some problems: lack of training until the teacher couldn’t apply the scientific approach, couldn’t manage the class well, lack of media in the classroom because the English teacher just prepare the media in language laboratory. In teaching evaluation the teacher couldn’t apply scientific approach well it made the teacher couldn’t use the authentic assessment because lack of training in curriculum 2013

How accurate can A Level English literature marking be?

This article considers in a wide perspective the crisis in the assessment of examinations in A‐level English Literature and current attempts to address the problems. Examining the implications of a survey of recent reports initiated by the regulator, it argues that trying to ensure reliability merely through technological advances and changes in examining practice obscures the need for English teachers’ communal understanding of academic standards to be developed through their professional experience. It proposes ways in which this should be achieved, for example by developing current and potential professional networks and communities of practice.

Critical Multimodal Literacy

This research investigates how three female Nigerian high school students were taught to deploy critical multimodal literacy to interrogate texts and reconstruct unequal social structures. A class of ninth-grade students in an all-women school was given instruction through the analysis of how multiple modes were used to represent meanings in textbooks. Data were collected from multiple sources, including students’ interviews, observations, classroom videos, social media posts, and artifacts of students’ literacies to analyze how they reflect on and critique their personal experiences in Nigeria within and through the English curriculum. The findings suggest that the teacher and students co-constructed possibilities for the learners to critique the social production of gender and resist structural practices that diminish their voices and their literacy learning. The findings indicate a need for English teachers in Nigeria to enact critical multimodal literacy pedagogy which relates instruction to female students’ interests to promote agency and change.

ENGAGING COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING (CALL) IN 2013 NATIONAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM

<p>The implementation of CALL in the classroom to improve the students’ reading capability is successful viewed from some dimensions. The implementation of CALL in the classroom can change the role of students and teacher in classroom interaction; from teacher-centered to students-centered which makes the students be the central of the instructional process. CALL also improves the process of learning. It motivates the students to learn, provides various teaching materials, and triggers the students’ creativity by providing nearly unlimited learning materials. However, in integrating the application into the curriculum the teacher need to make the application meaningful for the students. For this, the function of the computer is to support the learning objectives. The implementation of CALL in the classroom is very essential in enhancing the students’ capability in English language learning. Therefore, it is recommended that; (1) English teachers should pave the way the development of technology to improve their quality of teaching; (2) English teacher need to be creative and innovative in developing learning strategies to create better learning environments; (3) Schools have to provide the students better facilities; and (4) Due to the limited time to study at school, it is recommended for the students to study after class since CALL provides them opportunities to develop themselves to improve their language competence, especially reading.</p>

English and Islam: A Clash of Civilizations?

There is a substantial amount of literature documenting the attitudinal resistance of Muslims towards English and the supposed conflict between English and Islam. This article provides a critical review of the writings and research on the issue and discusses some of the reasons behind this resistance, focusing on Muslims in Malaysia. It argues that although English is rooted in the Judeo-Christian culture, and often viewed as a primary vehicle for the transmission of "Western" values, the learning of English is not in conflict with Islamic values. This article also presents an Islamic perspective on the role of language and the attitude that Muslims should adopt towards learning languages. It concludes by emphasizing the need for English teachers to take into account the socio-cultural aspects of learning English when teaching Muslim students, and for Muslims to value the importance of learning English for the purpose of acquiring contemporary knowledge.

Action research for english teaching: ideology, pedagogy and personal growth

This article takes as its starting point the notion that the extent to which action research is accepted or rejected as a valid means of enquiry and professional development is largely determined by occupational culture and the ideology of individuals who corporately constitute that culture (Adlam, 1999; Li et al, 1999). Here, the view that the values and ideologies of teachers cannot be separated from their teaching or research into their teaching (Day, 1998) is illustrated in relation to a politically significant and strategically placed group of teachers. With the advent of the National Literacy Strategy in high (secondary) schools in the United Kingdom, there is a need for English teachers to reevaluate the nature of the subject they teach, which is being redefined, as well as their pedagogy. The beliefs of this distinct group of practitioners are explored, and it is suggested that they are positioned, ideologically, culturally and politically to be receptive to and benefit from action research. As the current emphasis on literacy and therefore on the ‘adult needs’ and ‘crosscurricular’ models of their subject contrasts sharply with this group's timehonoured valorisation of the ‘personal growth’ model of English characterised by imagination and creativity, action research is seen to provide an opportunity for these practitioners to reflect on their ‘conscious and unconscious doings’ (Altrichter et al, 1993, p. 6). Throughout this article, reference is made to the author's experience of conducting a 3-year longitudinal action research project as a high (secondary) school teacher of English funded by the ESRC (Pike, 2000a,b,c,d, e), although the intention in this article is to explore the degree of epistemological and ideological congruence between the values and beliefs of English teachers, and some prevalent features of action research

Distance English Language Teaching(DELT)Programme: A New Model for Turkey

This paper aims at introducing a new interactive distance education application model in English Teacher Education. There is an ever-increasing demand for English teaching and learning activities in Turkey, with the implementation of new eight-year compulsory primary education in 1998. Eight Yearly Development Plan (1999-2006) estimates the English teacher need of Turkey as approximately 60,000. In order to meet this demand Turkish Ministry of National Education (MNE) and Eskisehir Anadolu University signed a protocol in February 2000. Anadolu University is authorized to initiate a four-year Distance English Language Teacher Education Program. The program has accepted first group of students (2500) this academic year (2000-2001) according to the results of the University Entrance (OSS)- Foreign Language (English)Exam.