ESL Teachers Research Articles

Exploring scaffolding in promoting ESL education

This paper reviews the theoretical framework of Scaffolding, including scaffolding, the zone of proximal development (ZPD), ‘designed-in’ scaffolding and ‘point-of-need’ scaffolding. By analyzing scaffolding theory, the researcher tries to find out how scaffolding theories can be used to promote ESL education. There are several types of pedagogy implications:1) attention to task sequence;2) make shifts between participants structure;3) use for semiotic system and planning for ‘Message Abundancy’;4) cued elicitation and increased prospectiveness. This paper contributes to the practical experience for ESL teachers and also enriches scaffolding paradigm like a means further by elucidating educational implications.

A Contrastive Analysis of Thematic and Information Patterning in English and Arabic Contexts

Language acquisition is a remarkable and crucial aspect of human evolution because it is a means of communication. One of the main problems in which language is implicated is when speakers of different languages communicate. A possible solution for speakers of different languages is to learn the other’s language or to employ a translator. Contrastive analysis is the study and comparison of two different languages, such as English with Arabic. It compares the structural similarities and differences between the two languages. In this regard, it is utilized to compare the Thematic and Information Structures in English and Arabic, which is the most common focus of this study. This article aimed to examine the theme and Information structures of English and Arabic from contrastive analysis perspectives. Multiple sentences from daily language are included in the analysis, which is based on Halliday’s practical theme-rheme paradigm applied to conversational English and Arabic clauses. The researcher, an ESL instructor, used a descriptive-analytical technique to critically assess the similarities and differences in the structural aspects of themes and rheme in English and Arabic to help ESL students be well prepared for the translation job after graduation and now while learning at the college. While Arabic and English clauses are distinct, they can express the same concepts in dramatically more diverse ways, according to the findings of this study. This study also revealed the alignment of themes could alter across various ESL learners’ understanding. Personal experience or ability, among other factors, can impact topical subjects, regardless of whether they are written or spoken. Because the two systems are so dissimilar, it is critical to understand the linguistic differences between English and Arabic to help recognize the difference in meaning between them.

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy in Reading Texts in EFL/ESL Settings

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy in Reading Texts in EFL/ESL Settings

The use of i-THINK Mapping in teaching reading comprehension among ESL teachers

This study investigated the use of i-THINK Mapping in teaching reading comprehension by ESL teachers to a group of Form Five students, and the factors and challenges the ESL teachers faced in teaching reading comprehension using i-THINK Mapping. A qualitative approach, specifically a case study design, was employed in this study. Classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis of their lesson plans were used to collect the data. Four ESL teachers with a minimum of 5-year teaching experience in a rural secondary school in Hulu Selangor, Malaysia, were selected using a purposive sampling technique to participate in this study. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data obtained from classroom observations and interviews. The findings show that the teachers had applied five i-THINK maps, including a Circle Map to define in context, a Bubble Map to describe, a Double Bubble Map to compare and contrast, a Flow Map to show the sequence of an event, and a Tree Map to classify different ideas. The i-THINK Mapping motivated the students to discuss, brainstorm, and cooperate with their peers to detect the details from the given reading texts. The teachers’ challenges include the time constraints in preparing the lesson with i-THINK Mapping and a low level of student English proficiency. One implication of this study is that teachers’ use of i-THINK Mapping to teach reading comprehension could assist students in generating ideas, expanding ideas, and expressing them orally.

Pre-service teachers' views on using English comics to improve pupils' English language skills

This paper highlights the ESL pre-service elementary school teachers’ views on using English comics in the classroom and using English comics to assist elementary school pupils in improving their English language skills. A descriptive survey research design was used, and a quantitative method study was done among 64 pre-service teachers utilising an internet questionnaire as an instrument aimed to answer questions concerning their views towards the use of English comics as a medium for teaching and learning English and the effectiveness in improving pupils’ English language abilities. The results from the questionnaire were analysed quantitatively, and the findings were summarised using descriptive statistics and frequency count to characterise the properties of the large group of samples. From the survey, it was found that most pre-service teachers have positive perceptions of using comic books as teaching and learning tools in class. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the pre-service teachers believe it is advantageous to improving students’ English language abilities. The study offers other recommendations for future research and implications that might help ESL instructors and young students enhance their students’ English language proficiency.

Folktale Comes Alive: A Virtual ESL Learning Package to Engage ESL Learners

Folktales serve as a source for creative inspiration that leads to the emergence of several works in modern literature. However, despite these sterling qualities of folktales, it is endangered with extinction. The project aims to preserve the cultural and heritage of the indigenous Semai folktales through the English language teaching and learning in fun, interactive and creative ways. Thus, the ESL virtual learning package developed includes a fascinating virtual puppet shows with an E book entitled The Legend of Cen Cemana accompanied with English language activities that cater for the highflyers, intermediate and beginner’s level students. The innovation was developed as a means to preserve the cultural heritage of the Semai and most importantly is to integrate the interesting folktale into ESL teaching and learning to engage learners. Legend of Cen Cemana was chosen because the folktale explains about the Semai beliefs and the universal values the elderly Semai used to pass down to the younger generation through oral tradition. The product is commercialized through collaboration projects with schools and ESL teachers. A short survey pertaining to student’s experience and opinion using the English Language Learning package was conducted. The finding shows students received positive effects while using the virtual language learning package (the virtual puppet show, the e book of Semai and ESL language activities). Thus, preservation of Indigenous folktales through the innovation initiatives is the best way to preserve the Semai cultural heritage and the effort should be well received and supported by the government and the Ministry of Education.

Issues and Challenges of Malaysian Primary School Teachers in Incorporating Blended Learning in ESL Classroom

The emergence of blended learning in this fast-paced technology advancement period has provided educators, particularly ESL teachers with yet another teaching approach option that could be incorporated within their ESL teaching and learning context. This study aims to obtain insights on issues and challenges Malaysian primary school teachers face in the incorporation of this teaching approach. It seeks to answer two main questions; 1) How do Malaysia primary school teachers perceive blended learning? and 2) What are the issues and challenges Malaysian primary school teachers face in the incorporation of blended learning? This quantitative study utilized an adapted 5-point Likert scale questionnaire survey for data collection. The data was analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 27 and descriptive analysis was employed to interpret the findings. Participants were 30 ESL primary school teachers from Tanjong Malim, Perak. The findings indicated that primary school teachers reported a positive attitude towards blended learning (M = 4.34, SD = 0.599). Nevertheless, findings indicated that there are issues and challenges on the incorporation of blended learning in ESL classrooms (M = 2.72, SD = 0.939).

What’s Next? Challenges of Teaching English in the Post-Covid-19 Pandemic in Kuwaitu

The migration from the traditional teaching method to online learning has affected both learners and educators at all levels. In Kuwait, this switch is implemented during three semesters. In this paper, we examine the challenges that Teachers of the English Language face today in Kuwait Post COVID-19. After the temporary on-learning that lasted three semesters, the current study investigates the impact of English language skills on school learners. The survey of the current study consisted of a total of 58 English female government secondary school teachers. While other studies have focused on the challenges that learners faced during this pandemic, this study chiefly concentrates on government teachers. The significance of this paper is to provide remedial plans to respond better to emergencies. The main question of this study is ‘What are the challenges that governmental ESL teachers faced during the pandemic? And what are the remedial plans that could be implemented? To answer these questions, a mixed methodology is used to achieve the research goal in which data are collected through an open-ended questionnaire and by interviewing three randomly selected participants. Teachers’questionnaire (closed-ended) and semi-structured narrative interviews revealed that COVID-19 has a positive and negative impact on English language skills. The effects of online English language learning on secondary school students in Kuwait result in a poor level of proficiency that teachers would need to improve. There are numerous challenges facing English Language teachers in the traditional classroom and remedial plans are being implemented to fix the impact that the pandemic left on students’ language skills.

Gamification Functionality and Features of Kahoot! in Learning—ESL Teachers and Students’ Perceptions

Kahoot! has emerged as one of the most successful learning gamification platforms and its use in Malaysia has been rising in recent years. However, there is a lack of research into the effectiveness of Kahoot! and other gamification platforms in Malaysia even as calls to increase its use continue to rise. This research intended to help fill this gap. The research examined the perceptions of students and teachers on gamification in general and Kahoot! in particular. It also examined the impact of Kahoot! features, Kahoot! functionality, and demographic factors on satisfaction with the use of Kahoot! in ESL teaching and learning in Malaysia. It was a quantitative study that contained two populations: ESL teachers and ESL students. A total of 150 participants were included in the study consisting of 50 teachers and 100 students from a primary school in Nilai. Structured questionnaires were used for the data collection for both populations. Statistical analysis was used in the research to make sense of the findings. The findings of this research have revealed that the Kahoot! features, functionality, and the use of Kahoot! has a positive feedback and perceptions from both the participants. Teachers believed Kahoot! to be a very successful tool for boosting passive students’ involvement and promoting competitive learning. The main benefits of Kahoot!, according to teachers, include enhanced student involvement, improved classroom dynamics, higher motivation, rapid feedback, and higher energy levels throughout sessions. Demographic differences were also notable among teachers with younger teachers, those with less experience, and those of the male gender are more likely to hold positive perceptions towards the use of Kahoot!. Students said Kahoot was particularly good at building motivation and supporting and reinforcing learning. Among students, gender was a significant factor with boys being more receptive to the use of Kahoot!.

Analyzing the Influence of English Vocabulary Learning Strategies on English Language Learners

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of ESL instructors in assisting their students with vocabulary development at a private institution in Kurdistan. When learning a new language, vocabulary plays a key role in both language acquisition and overall academic success. Having a working grasp of English is essential for students in Kurdistan, not just to meet the academic requirements for a given degree but also to help them succeed in using English in their daily lives. Because vocabulary is so important in communicating in English, this study aims to investigate the wide range of approaches students take to learning new words. Results showed that self-regulation abilities were positively related to memory, cognitive, metacognitive, and social techniques for vocabulary acquisition. The strongest correlation was found between social strategy and the ability to regulate one's own vocabulary learning (B=.547).

ИНТЕГРАЦИЯ LMS MOODLE В ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНЫЙ ПРОЦЕСС, НАПРАВЛЕННЫЙ НА ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ НАВЫКОВ ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ ESL В ГЛОБАЛИЗИРОВАННОМ МИРЕ: ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

The author presents an innovative approach to form teaching competence of future English language teachers via integrating LMS Moodle. The issues related to the use of LMS Moodle in the educational process to prepare Master’s students on the basis of data obtained at the Sevastopol State University (SSU) are investigated. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the efficiency of LMS Moodle to develop students’ foreign language teaching skills at the university. The process of development and implementation of the online course “Technologies of Teaching English at the University” at SSU is characterized. The structure and stages of the course are described. The types of tasks to from the methodical competence of Master’s students are considered. To assess the results of the impact of the digital course, the author created a questionnaire and conducted a survey among the teachers who had worked during the pandemic using LMS platform. The LMS platform involves the use of an interactive module designed to master the skills of teaching English. The benefits of using LMS platform in foreign language teaching of future teachers of English were revealed. The results show that the use of the LMS platform in implementing the online course “Technologies of Teaching English at the University” contributes to the development of the methodical competence of Master’s students. The results obtained can help teachers, education specialists to carry out methodical training of future ESL teachers using LMS Moodle.

Digital Media and Slang in the ESL Classroom: Hungarian ESL Teachers and Students’ Views

Digital Media and Slang in the ESL Classroom: Hungarian ESL Teachers and Students’ Views

Mindfulness-based Classroom Intervention: Boon or Bane to ESL Teachers in Malaysia?

Mindfulness-based Classroom Intervention: Boon or Bane to ESL Teachers in Malaysia?

The Challenges Confronted by the Asian English as Second Language Teachers on Implementation of E-Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic

Teachers in Asian countries confront major problems adjusting to online teaching and establishing a minimum extent of communication with students to support their learning and growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the challenges faced by English as a second language teachers in Asia while implementing e-learning during COVID-19. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional research technique using a total of 300 ESL teachers from the selected Asian countries, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and China, with different demographic backgrounds. The data was analyzed using a standard multiple regression model. The results showed that the teachers’ ICT competence, the infrastructure, and resources available to the teachers, and the suitability of working environment had a significant positive impact on implementing e-learning during Covid-19. This study suggested that policymakers can use the findings to plan curriculum by considering teachers' ICT skills as well as access to infrastructure and online resources.

Religion and Esl Teacher Identity in Malaysia Context: Does Religion Matter?

Religion and Esl Teacher Identity in Malaysia Context: Does Religion Matter?

L1 As a Tool For Reducing the Affective Filter

The utilization of the first language (L1) as an instructional tool in second language (L2) classrooms has sparked an intense debate in the realm of language education. This essay aims to delve further into the multifaceted discourse surrounding the use of L1 in L2 classrooms, particularly within the context of adult English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) teaching. To provide comprehensive insights into the implementation of L1 in L2 classrooms, the essay draws upon examples from the authors’ pedagogical experiences, encompassing roughly 33 hours of ESL instruction within an agency affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, United States. Furthermore, this essay employs relevant theories from the three primary fields of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), which include second language development, language use, and language pedagogy. By synthesizing these theories and exemplars, this essay aims to shed light on the intricate nuances of utilizing L1 as an instructional tool in L2 classrooms, and ultimately to inform and enhance pedagogical practices in the field of ESL/EFL instruction.

Revolutionizing ESL Teaching with Generative Artificial Intelligence—Take ChatGPT as an Example

Revolutionizing ESL Teaching with Generative Artificial Intelligence—Take ChatGPT as an Example

ESL Teachers’ Perceptions towards Teaching the Four Skills for Developing Learners’ Communicative Abilities for Ordinary Secondary Schools: Do Learning Objectives Matter?

Country wide, studies on oral language skills in relation to students’ communicative competence are relatively scanty. These studies focused on testing and performance with less attention to oral language skills instruction. Hence, leaving a knowledge gap. Therefore, previous studies did not consider whether oral skills are included in teaching and learning in ESL classes. The findings reveal that effective teaching of language as communication calls for an integrated approach which represents different skills and abilities as aspects of as a single underlying activity. The present study was descriptive in nature. The study used mixed research approach. The study was conducted in Simiyu region, specifically, Bariadi district. The study used purposive sampling technique. The study used total population sampling which included 100 respondents. Only 75 respondents participated in questionnaires and focus group discussion. Thematic and content analysis were used in analyzing the data. The findings concluded that teaching ESL in ordinary secondary schools does not base on the teaching and learning objectives as prescribed in the 2010 syllabus for developing learners’ communicative competence. The contributing factors include the negative impact of assessment. This means that both internal and national examinations do not test or assess students in terms of mastery of oral language skills. Also, teaching methods especially integrated-skills approach that is suggested to be used when teaching the four skills is not used at all. Therefore, the present study recommends that there is a need of change of both teaching/learning methods, materials, time and assessment objectives so as to meet the intended goals of teaching ESL in ordinary secondary schools in Tanzania

Effect of Implicit Written Corrective Feedback on the Writing Skills of ESL Learners

Background. Providing learners with written corrective feedback (WCF) on their writing is crucial to the ESL learning process.Purpose. This research is aimed at examining the effects of indicating errors as implicit WCF on the writing skills of ESL learners, as well as identifying learners’ perceptions towards its use in their essay writing.Methods. This is a mixed methods research involving the gathering of data both quantitatively and qualitatively. By means of a purpose sampling method, 50 ESL learners from a private university in Selangor, Malaysia were selected for this study. They underwent a two-week training period during which they were taught to self-correct their essays based on errors indicated as implicit WCF by their lecturer. This also included a pre-test and a post-test administered in between. Finally, 10 respondents were interviewed to gain their perceptions on the use of this technique as implicit WCF in their writing.Results. The results showed that the students achieved a slightly significant improvement in their essay writing skills. They also had a positive perception of the use of the lecturer’s indication of errors as implicit WCF in their essay writing.Conclusion and Implications: In conclusion, error indication as implicit WCF is effective for enhancing writing skills, and the ESL learners perceived it positively. This present study contributes fundamental pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research. ESL instructors are encouraged to adopt and apply this technique in their composition writing lessons.

Perceptions of ESL Teachers from Tamil Vernacular Type Schools (SJKT) About Online Teaching and Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic

The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of ESL teachers in Tamil vernacular schools about online teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. While there are studies on teachers’ perceptions during Covid-19, less is known about ESL Tamil vernacular type schoolteachers’ perceptions on teaching and learning during the Covid pandemic, where Tamil is the medium of instruction, with the Malay Language as the second language and English as the third language. Purposive sampling was used to select 30 ESL teachers from different Tamil vernacular schools in the Johor Bahru region. Using an explanatory sequential mixed method approach to collect the data, in the first phase, a close-ended questionnaire was used as a quantitative instrument. As for the second phase, an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data. GNU PSPP software was used to analyse the quantitative data, while the qualitative data was analysed through descriptive content analysis. The findings of the study showed the perceptions of ESL teachers about online teaching and learning, such as online teaching and learning tools, skills needed to conduct online teaching, challenges in online teaching and learning as well as positive aspects of online teaching and learning. The findings show that the challenges the teachers faced during online teaching outweighs the positive aspects stated. This calls for more research about vernacular-type schools. The findings can be a reminder for the school management to provide more training for teachers on how to help students be more interactive, motivated and be less inhibited during online teaching and learning.