General English Program Research Articles

Using Accreditation Standards for Internal Quality Assurance for Tertiary General English Program in Vietnam

The mixed-method study used a quantitative questionnaire to collect feedback from teachers and program directors regarding the current practices of quality assurance approaches in General English (GE) training programs at their higher education institutions (HEIs). Additionally, the study sought their evaluation of applying accreditation schemes to ensure the quality of GE training programs using a semi-structured interview. The results indicated that the quality assurance measures implemented in the GE training program were generally perceived as effective and aligned with industry standards and best practices. However, there needs to be a comprehensive QA approach that covers areas of improvement related to the learners' needs and expectations and the implementation of QA approaches for curriculum effectiveness. Informants were found to have positive evaluations of the application of the existing accreditation schemes for GE training programs at HEIs in Vietnam. Research on the effectiveness of a specific accreditation scheme implemented at particular HEIs in Vietnam will be conducted in the future.

University Students’ Perceptions of Extensive Reading Intervention: Evidence from Universitas Hasanuddin Non-English Freshmen

This paper reports the findings drawn from a six-month survey on first-year students’ perception of Extensive Reading intervention in a basic general English course program at Hasanuddin University. This survey study aimed to reveal the extent to which the samples agreed on some aspects of language learning’s positive impacts from attending a reading intervention semester. Other aspects were also examined to the degree of improvement, such as students’ beliefs about eclecticism, self-confidence, and social identity. Data were obtained from questionnaire surveys consisting of 7 close-ended statements and four rating scales from 120 fresh undergraduates. The scaling of “strongly agreement” was tallied from the total samples to obtain the trend. The greater the percentage of the agreement rate, the stronger the perceptions, so as the higher the tendency of the positive impact of extensive reading. The findings came up with encouraging results where a greater proportion of the samples reported significant improvement in aspects contributing to language learning. These include improved vocabulary, writing skills, reading rate, comprehension, confidence, and motivation. The study also revealed the perceived gaining of social identity and reduced degree of eclecticism in dealing with English texts. The findings support the previous research that confirms assurance of reading improvement through extensive reading. The survey warrants pedagogical implications for teachers to constantly embark high intensity of reading activities for students to inculcate reading habits so as to improve personal study skills and encourage autonomous learning. 

Students' attitudes towards teacher's use of Vietnamese in EFL classrooms at Vietnam National University Hanoi, International School

The role of L1 in L2 classrooms has without any doubt been the hot topic of debates and discussions. In particular, some linguists and educators do not support the use of L1 in teaching L2, whereas others emphasize the importance of L1 in L2 classes. Although studies have been done on both teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward L1 use in the L2 classroom, it still remains the question of when and how L1 can become an effective supporting tool for L2. The goal of this research is to present the results on the functionality of L1 (Vietnamese language) in L2 (EFL) classrooms under students’ perspectives. A survey questionnaire was designed to deliver to participants for the study: 126 students at the intermediate level of the General English program at Vietnam National University Hanoi, International School (VNU-IS). The study's findings indicated that the VNU-IS student participants were satisfied with their teacher’s use of L1. L1 usage was also discovered to be preferred for the following purposes: language functionality, managerial functionality, effective functionality, and social functionality. Among them, language functionality is most favored by VNU-IS students. The results also revealed that Vietnamese should be considered as a backup rather than a barrier for Vietnamese teachers.

수능 영어 절대평가 세대 대학생들의 영어 능력 인식, 향상 추구 영역, 교양영어 만족도 및 향후 개편 방안 연구

Objectives This study examined the students’ perceptions about English competence, domains to improve, satisfaction with college English program and an reorganization for the future. Methods The research questions were designed to report participants’ perceptions about four categories as follows: (1) how to perceive about their own English competence (2) what English doamin(s) they want to improve, (3) whether they are satisfied with current college English program, and (4) what type of English program would work best for achieving their ideal English performance. A total of 60 research participants who registered two subjects of liberal arts classes in a university located in Seoul completed a perception analysis questionnaire at the fifteenth week of their courses. The normality test verified the homogeneity of variance of these groups. Results The analysis results demonstrated that these participants perceived their English abilities negatively in the domain of speaking, writing, listening, reading and grammar respectivly. They also wanted to improve their abilities of speaking and writing meanwhile they were not satisfied with the current English program provided by their general English education program. As a result, while they wanted to improve their abilites of speaking and writing, they also showed some interests in improving their English ability affiliated with major area. These ideals were revealed through their wishes to be educated from a writing and speaking - centered prospective college English program. Conclusions The findings imply that new-age learners who were admitted from a new college entrance admission process need to be provided with more satisfactory general English education curriculum with students. By doing this, the university administration may successfully meet the needs of college students while assisting students’ needs of improving major-affiliated English abilities and developing teaching and learning program required for the colloege level higher-education. The further studies regarding how to reflect learners' needs as well as to improve their English competence of speaking and writing affiliated with major are sincerely recommended.

Enacting a Task-Based Language Teaching Curriculum in Indonesian non-Formal Education (INFE): Rationales and Challenges

Tasks-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) has successfully attracted attention of a second (L2)/foreign language (FL) practitioners, researchers, trainers as well as curriculum developer. Much of the research conducted, however, has mainly focused in formal educational settings, and less research carried out in non-formal educational context. The intent of this paper, therefore, is to advocate the notion of enacting TBLT curriculum in General English (GE) program in the pursuit of increasing students’ language communicative competence at Institute of English Course and Training (IECT), one of Indonesian Non-Formal Educations (INFE) in East Lombok Regency of Nusa Tenggara Barat Province, Indonesia. The rationales and challenges of enactment will be provided, and mainly will be based on my experience as a founder of non-formal language centers, as well as a reflexive practitioner. The advocacy should not solely confine to my home regency, East Lombok, but also to language center of INFE that runs GE in Nusa Tenggara Province.

General English Online Teaching Within Pandemic Outbreak: Between Need and Satisfaction

Since the COVID-19 pandemic entered Indonesia in 2019, a technological adjustment in learning has been massively implemented. Online teaching is the only logical method for the reason of limiting physical contact. Although the characteristics of Z-Generation learners are digital natives, live learning is still more welcomed. Therefore, this study aims to determine and carefully measure the satisfaction of new colleges students in the general English program at Universitas Hamzanwadi. The measures are three aspects (course content, instructor performance, and media use) and another aspect in teaching mode (online and offline). In addition, this research discusses why the new college students choose to participate in the general English program 2020/2021. This study utilized a quantitative-descriptive approach with the census method. The population was taken from all new students for the 2020/2021 period as many as six faculties totaling 1450, although only 1196 respondents ultimately responded. The primary data collection instruments were questionnaires through google forms, interviews, and documents such as teaching modules and media. The findings show 1196 respondents recorded via a google form telling that the bilingualism reasons were the majority choice (54.93%). The scholarships and student exchanges are the second paramount concern to this program (21.15%). Other positions such as translator or work, reasons are not significantly mentioned. Conclusion tells that new student satisfaction following the General English program (GE) is significantly more than 70 percent in three aspects of the assessment within the program.

Exploring Korean College Students’ Attitudes Toward General English Program and Influencing Factors

Exploring Korean College Students’ Attitudes Toward General English Program and Influencing Factors

Empowering General Studies and English Language Education 4.0

Education 4.0 has been a buzz word in the past few years in tertiary education. Educators have continuously asked how to transform higher education to meet the changes resulting from the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR). The General Studies and English language program have gone through several instrumental changes to meet the demands of Educational Revolution 4.0 in the United Arab Emirates. These changes directly impacted the pedagogies of teaching and learning environments. The primary focus of this paper is on how the General Studies and English language program in a tertiary educational institution in the United Arab Emirates has transformed the educational key elements of teaching and learning to meet the changes that came with the 4th Industrial Revolution. The changes implemented are in the areas of digitalized learning and with the goal of preparing students for uncertain futures. An overview of the present challenges is discussed in addition to a discussion of recommendations.

The Efficacy of the General English Program in Taking Major Related EMCs

The Efficacy of the General English Program in Taking Major Related EMCs

사이버캠퍼스 기반 교양영어 수업의 성공 요인에 대한 교수자와 학습자의 인식 비교

사이버캠퍼스 기반 교양영어 수업의 성공 요인에 대한 교수자와 학습자의 인식 비교

VIETNAMESE NON-ENGLISH MAJOR EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ RECEPTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MOST FREQUENT ENGLISH WORDS

The receptive knowledge of 442 non-English major university students in a General English program in Vietnam was measured with Webb, Sasao, and Ballance’s (2017) New Vocabulary Levels Test. It was found that despite 10 years of formal English language instruction, nearly half of the participants had not mastered the most frequent 1,000 words and more than 90% had not mastered the most frequent 2,000 words. The study calls for more attention to high-frequency words in English language instruction in Vietnamese EFL context.

The Relationship between Native English Speaking Professors’ Identity Building and Teaching Practices in the General English Program

The Relationship between Native English Speaking Professors’ Identity Building and Teaching Practices in the General English Program

The Impact of an Arts Project-Based Language Program to Enhance EFL Learning

This study examines the impact of an arts project-based language program for Korean EFL college students, drawing upon the Stoller’s PBL framework (2006). The investigation integrated an art project, based on a real-world task, into English language learning for college students of arts within a general English program. 15-week EFL course asked students to develop their portfolio or showcase reels with the goal of improving English language ability. The English-Based Art Communication course of 98 students was divided either into an experimental group (N = 49) or a control group (N = 49). The researchers administrated a pre- and post-questionnaire and a TOEIC speaking test to the students, with which to analyze the students’ language improvement and change of perceptions on English learning. The researchers observed the whole process of students’ doing their project and interviewed them regarding their learning experiences. Though there was no statistically significant improvement in the speaking skills in both groups, the questionnaire and interview data revealed a significant increase of positive perceptions among the experimental group about their major and the language learning, not to mention substantial improvements in vocabulary and overall confidence. The discoveries imply that the project-based language teaching become efficient with art-related works and students’ engagement.

Increasing Investment and Autonomy in Second-language Learners – an Empirical Study Looking for the L2 Self

Inspired by years of research into the areas of motivation and learner autonomy, this empirical study aimed at investigating ways of developing both of these dimensions in a Myanmar classroom; most current research output show results of what has been done mostly in Western context or in countries with strong ties to Western culture, such as China, South Korea or Japan. To the best of my knowledge, none of the literature or studies related to Myanmar, a country that presents a very unique set of circumstances for English-language teachers: not only had English been banned in all of its forms for nearly 40 years after the military government came to power (closing down libraries, English-language publications and eradicating the English curriculum from schools), but the country follows a Confucian system of education, which places greater value in memorization than understanding and in strict obedience rather than the development of critical thought (Purdie et al 1996; Han and Yang, 2001). Because of the Confucian belief in the importance of unequal relations in education (Guo ,2016) students are not only discouraged from asking questions but according to their own testimony, even physically punished. With these considerations in mind, the purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which both autonomy and intrinsic motivation could be developed in Burmese, thus breaking away from the educational model they have followed so far, and to ascertain whether or not such dimensions had an impact in their learning outcomes. Nineteen Intermediate-level Burmese students, enrolled in the General English program at the British Council Myanmar, worked for six weeks twice a week carrying out tasks designed to boost their intrinsic motivation and develop a greater sense of autonomy, to assess if these dimensions had an impact in the students’ learning outcomes and to determine the degree and type of pedagogical interventions needed to facilitate that. Students answered three questionnaires, wrote three journal entries reflecting on their experience as learners and as subjects in the project, and engaged in a variety of tasks which will be described. Additionally, three students were interviewed in person to delve deeper into the issues described above. The first questionnaire was designed to help learners reflect on their own role as learners, The second one was based on Dörnyei’s Ten Commandments for Motivating Language. The final questionnaire was a reflection on the entirety of the course and changes students had experienced throughout. It asked questions concerning motivation, autonomy and identity and it serves as the final data–collection instrument by which to ascertain if any changes occurred in their behaviour, attitude or thinking patterns.

Developing general English program syllabus

This study aims at developing a syllabus for General English Conversation of English Care course. The method of this study used R & D method. It was because the result of the research is used to design a product. The findings of this research show that the content of the syllabus is General English. The content was gained from the result of need analysis. It was gained from the existing documents such as the textbook, list of teaching material, and the main goal. Syllabus has an important role for teachers in teaching learning process it covers objectives, learning activities and task, topic, themes, and vocabularies. If a teacher does not have a syllabus, it will be difficult for her/him to plan her/his teaching learning process. Planning a syllabus is one activity that will help teachers and learners of general English to achieve their successful learning goals. A syllabus is needed by teachers because it gives the lesson a framework, an overall shape. By having a syllabus, teachers will know what should be done and what should be achieved in the class and at the end of the class. Therefore, teachers will not deviate from the objectives which have been established before. Moreover, a syllabus reminds teachers what they have intended to do in the class, particularly if they are distracted by other things in the class. Syllabus will help them directly go back to the plans previously written in syllabus.

An attempt to raise Thai students’ awareness of World Englishes in a General English Program

As witnessed over three decades in the field of Applied Linguistics, the emergence of world Englishes (hereafter WE), thanks to the global spread of English, has prompted various scholars to call for the need to critically revise the ways in which teachers teach English. Specifically, practitioners have been encouraged to raise their students’ awareness of WE. Examples of WE-informed curricula, modules, or lessons have been showcased by WE advocates from different parts of the world. However, most of these curricula, modules, and lessons are taught or delivered within TESOL teacher-education programs, leading some educators to question the relevance of WE to language learners. This paper showcases and evaluates critically how a WE-informed practitioner at one of the leading universities in Thailand attempts to inspire students enrolled in a General English program to develop respectful views of English language variation. Although the attempt has resulted in minor changes in students’ views, it certainly highlights that the teaching of world Englishes to English language learners is far from an idealistic attempt.

A study on reforming general English language curriculum based on student needs: Based on the case study of K University

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the state of the general English language program at K University in Daegu and to pursue a variety of choices for students to select English courses through the establishment of new English courses aimed at developing students’ global knowledge and English ability. A further aim of this study is to find effective ways of enhancing students’ English communicative ability in the course of reforming an effective general English language curriculum. To develop a general English language curriculum, it is necessary to improve the quality of English education through a differentiated curriculum based on the students’ English proficiency, and it is important to develop new English courses to enhance students’ global knowledge. Based on the analysis of the survey from 646 students at K University, this study will support suggestion that if K University establishes an effective level-differentiated English education system and installs English courses that students really need, it will be possible to build a long-term regular English curriculum as well as an extracurricular English curriculum and improve students’ communicative ability with appropriate English levels.

대학 교양영어 수업의 ON-OFF Line 연계 스마트 러닝 활용과 학습효과 분석

대학 교양영어 수업의 ON-OFF Line 연계 스마트 러닝 활용과 학습효과 분석

Decision Support Systems for Performance and Evaluation of Teachers in General-English Course by Using the SMARTER and TOPSIS Methods

This research aims to implement Decision Support System (DSS) for choosing General English program teacher using Smarter and Topsis methods. The SMARTER method is used for determining weight of each criterion, where the TOPSIS method is used for calculate teacher ranks. The data used consist of some criteria and lecturer scores for each parameter. Both data are obtained from UPI Language Center Customer Satisfaction Report. Priority of criteria was decided based on questionnaire response from General English Program students. On accuracy aspect, the research shows that the combination of SMARTER and TOPSIS methods has 76% error rate. This research also shows that SMARTER and TOPSIS method has 90% stability. Based on questionnaire, 4 from 5 Balai Bahasa UPI’s management choose teacher’s rank from SMARTER and TOPSIS methods rather than manual.

Students’ and Team-teachers’ Perceptions of Team-Teaching in a University GeneralEnglish Program

The purpose of this study was to explore students’ and team-teachers’ opinions on a general English team-teaching program at a Korean university. A total of 192 students and 26 team-teachers participated in this study. The participants completed a survey with 37 items, questioning their satisfaction with the program and their suggestions for effective follow-up team-teaching programs. According to the analysis of both quantitative and demographic data using the SPSS, the results of this study indicate that most of the two participant groups had above average positive perceptions of the sub-variables of the instrument related to the team-teaching program implementation. Also, there were no significant relationships between any sub-variables and demographic variables. The results of the qualitative analysis showed the participants wanted more class hours, less dependence on Korean teachers, more close collaboration between the two co-teachers through frequent interactions, and more opportunities to interact with NESTs. For future research, the authors recommend more in-depth research on team-teaching programs containing more participants and in different settings. At the end of this study, some pedagogical implications for English education were discussed.