Goal Of Language Teaching Research Articles

Sûdî’nin Bostan Şerhi’nde Nesir Dili

Sûdî is one of the representatives of 16th century Turkish classical prose literature. In his annotated work of Bostan he preferred quite a simple language, free from internal rhyme and compound words. He made his explanations short, using defining annotation style. As he pursued overall goal of language teaching, there are oft-repeated sentences of information in the work. His mastery over Persian language enabled Sûdî to meticulously work on the derivational and inflectional affixes. As the main part of speech necessary to understand a statement is the verb, there is quite a lot of information embedded in the work regarding the modality features of Persian verbs, whether they are transitive or intransitive, or whether they are affirmative or negative. There is information given as to in what sense phrases are used, which words pronouns refer to in the text, and how a pair of lines that conveys figures of speech should be inferred and understood. He severely criticized the authors who previously worked on Bostan due to their mistakes in their annotated works, their inadequate knowledge of Bostan, their sheer lack of comprehension of the sentences. It is obvious that he made use of Turkish, Persian and Arabic conjunctions, gerunds, participles and adverbials. There does not seem to be any particular use of artistic language in his prose. He produced a kind of prose a lot easier to understand than those used in his age. Key words: Sûdî, Annotated Work of Bostan, language of prose, sentence construction

Translanguaging: a paradigm shift for ELT theory and practice

Abstract Translanguaging theory and pedagogy have emerged as central to the recent multilingual turn in educational linguistics and language teaching, including ELT. This article will explore translanguaging from theoretical and practical perspectives, aiming to clarify what it is and is not claiming, and what types of pedagogic practice it advocates, both in its stronger and weaker forms. I argue that a paradigm shift is occurring in the field, parallel with the shift in understanding of the nature of language itself that underpins both translanguaging theory and integrationism in linguistics. Implications for practice in ELT are also explored, including a reorientation concerning the goals of language teaching, a recognition of English as a social construct with traditions of use rather than immutable rules, and a repositioning of the many translingual teachers around the world as the experts at the centre of the multilingual turn that is defining early twenty-first century language pedagogy.

Kompleksitas Pendidikan Bahasa Indonesia Kelas Tinggi di SDN 132412 Kota Tanjungbalai

The goal of language education is to optimize students' skills in communicating correctly and accurately, both orally and in writing. Thus the purpose of this study is none other than to look at the complexity of Indonesian language education for high school students at SDN 132412 Tanjungbalai City. The method used in this research is descriptive and qualitative method. The descriptive method is telling or describing the data collected. The purpose of this method is to replace or describe situations or phenomena that occur in solving real world problems. This method is usually used to study people or objects, conditions or symptoms of a particular population or region. Tanjungbalai 132412 Public Elementary School students were used as research subjects. In addition, the method of collecting evidence or information is done by interviewing the homeroom teacher and the student.

Implementing Effective Techniques of Communicative Approach in English Language Teaching

Abstract: In the contemporary age of high professional requirements such as excellent communicative skills, the pressure on the learners to develop their communicative skills of English is rather imperative. The need for successful learning of communicative skills of English language suggests communicative ability to be the goal of language teaching. In other words, to teach English language using communicative approach becomes essential. The article presents the issues of implementing the most effective techniques of communicative method to the teaching process of language learners.

A Study on Developing Learner Autonomy Through the Reading Circle Method

Many countries in the world have regarded the cultivation of learner autonomy as one of the important goals of language teaching. During the past fifty years, researchers and scholars have explored the connotations of learner autonomy, and carried out some empirical researches in different contexts. There are more and more researches on learner autonomy in language teaching and learning, the research scope and content are constantly broadened and deepened, and the research methods are more diversified. Based on the review of the reading circle method and the discussion of a working definition for learner autonomy, the present study explored the application of the reading circle method in facilitating the cultivation of learner autonomy in the English for Academic Purposes course at a comprehensive university in China. The results showed that the reading circle could help to improve learner’s attitude and interest in English language learning. It also indicated that learner’s learning capabilities and strategies were improved. This study adopts a novel approach to foster the development of learner autonomy, and sheds light on the empirical research practice.

A Study on Developing Learner Autonomy Through the Reading Circle Method

Many countries in the world have regarded the cultivation of learner autonomy as one of the important goals of language teaching. During the past fifty years, researchers and scholars have explored the connotations of learner autonomy, and carried out some empirical researches in different contexts. There are more and more researches on learner autonomy in language teaching and learning, the research scope and content are constantly broadened and deepened, and the research methods are more diversified. Based on the review of the reading circle method and the discussion of a working definition for learner autonomy, the present study explored the application of the reading circle method in facilitating the cultivation of learner autonomy in the English for Academic Purposes course at a comprehensive university in China. The results showed that the reading circle could help to improve learner’s attitude and interest in English language learning. It also indicated that learner’s learning capabilities and strategies were improved. This study adopts a novel approach to foster the development of learner autonomy, and sheds light on the empirical research practice.

Language Teaching and Intercultural Communication. Today's Challenges and Difficulties in Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages

An important sub-objective of the Lisbon Strategy states that there is a need to improve foreign language teaching at all levels of education throughout Europe. Over the past two decades, countries in the world have become ever more interdependent and many existing borders have been erased. Multilingualism, or proficiency in more than one language, is internationally gaining positive support and is viewed as an educational goal by many countries. This has brought about a situation where foreign language teaching and learning has become more necessary than ever, not simply for linking with the rest of the world but above all for producing active citizens able to function in today’s ever-shrinking world. Good communication skills in foreign languages has never been so important and necessary. Such rapid and profound social changes have not only increased the number of foreign language teachers and students and brought about complex and intriguing problems related to quality in teaching and learning, but they have also deeply affected present-day teaching methods and approaches. In today’s world, if foreign language teaching is to be successful, it is important that teaching systems and programmes are continuously remodelled, keeping in mind the social changes that have occurred in recent years. Such changes compel us to adapt to new social, cultural and linguistic realities: young people’s language use, their way of doing things, their way of studying today is very different to what it was some years ago. These also present a vast array of qualms that have to be dealt with in the foreign language classroom, namely, assessment strategies, the correct use of technological resources, and mixed ability and multicultural classrooms. All this implies that in order to make students become autonomous learners, which is the ultimate goal in language teaching, what is presented in class has to be relevant and pertinent to the students’ everyday life experiences.

Коммуникативный подход в обучении иностранным языкам

The Communitive Approach in language teaching starts from а theory of language as communication. The goal of language teaching is to develop communicative competence. Another linguistic theory of communication favored in CLT is functional account of language use. Linguistic is concerned with the description of speech acts of texts, since only through study of language in use are all the functions of language and therefore all components of meaning brought into focus. The goal of language teaching is to develop what referred to as “communicative competence”. This term is coined in order to contrast а communicative view of language and theory of competence. Linguistic theory is concerned primarily with an ideal speaker-listener in а completely homogeneous speech community, who knows its language perfectly and is unaffected by such grammatically irrelevant conditions as memory limitation, distribution, shifts of attention and interest, and errors (random or characteristic) in applying his knowledge of the language in actual performance.

Elementi della competenza comunicativa interculturale / Elements of Intercultural Communicative Competence

In this paper, we examine the possibility of teaching intercultural competence in high schools in the Sarajevo Canton. We conducted an analysis of two coursebooks in use in high schools, prescribed by the curriculum. The research objective is to examine the organization of intercultural teaching. In that sense, we first present an overview of teaching culture, as well as political goals elaborated in Europe during the 1990s. We start from the concept of language teaching and proceed with the definition of intercultural competence and its value according to the White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue, the Treaty of Maastricht and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Furthermore, we compare the data obtained by the analysis of the manuals with the goals of language teaching in Europe. The goal of the research is to put focus on elements of intercultural communication competence represented in the manuals to verify if it is possible to reach the goals determined by the Council of Europe. With that goal in mind, we conducted a qualitative analysis of the coursebooks with the aid of two tables of analysis which enable us to execute a contrastive analysis of the manuals and to compare intercultural elements with the counsels of the documents issued by the Council of Europe. Our hypothesis is that the manuals prescribed by the Ministry for Education, Science and Youth of the Sarajevo Canton represent the Italian culture in a traditional manner, and that they do not fully implement the CEFR instructions. This research can further be used in determining which manuals will be in use in high schools as well as in the curricular reform processes.

Teachers’ pedagogical intentions while using motivational strategies

Abstract Teaching in a way that motivates students to learn and grow is a ubiquitous goal in language teaching and language teacher education. Although the existing literature has looked into various motivational strategies that can enhance or maintain L2 students’ motivation, there is currently little research on teachers’ mental lives behind their motivational teaching practices. This qualitative case study thus explored teachers’ pedagogical intentions while implementing motivational strategies. Drawing on data from semi-structured background interviews, classroom observations, and post-lesson stimulated recall interviews, this study shows that teachers’ enactment of motivational strategies was influenced by their awareness of the intentions to motivate as well as the intentions to facilitate student learning. Furthermore, the study provides evidence of the potential of stimulated recall for awareness-raising. Based on these findings, we provide practical recommendations for using stimulated recall for maximising the pedagogical potential of motivational strategies in the language classroom.

Exploring Pre-service Pre-primary EFL Teacher Beliefs about Teaching English to Very Young Learners: A Macau Case Study

Research on the beliefs of pre-service and in-service English teachers at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels has provided useful knowledge to teacher education curriculum designers. However, the beliefs of pre-service pre-primary English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers have not been addressed. Thus, a case study was conducted in one pre-primary education program at a public university in the Macau Special Administrative Region of China. Data was collected by providing participants ( N = 63) a writing prompt aimed at gathering their beliefs about the teaching and learning of English in the pre-primary context. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze these written reflection reports of third-year pre-service pre-primary English teachers with the aim of uncovering their beliefs about teaching and learning EFL. Results showed the participants held beliefs about classroom practice, EFL learners and learning, pedagogical knowledge, teaching, content, goals of language teaching, the role of teaching, subject, schooling, hearsay, self, learning to teach, and the teacher education program. Most participants mentioned their beliefs about classroom practice, EFL learners and learning, and pedagogical knowledge, while very few participants wrote about self, learning to teach, or the teacher education program. While many of the beliefs held by the participants were found to be substantiated by early childhood education research, some unfounded beliefs were also uncovered. The results highlighted a need for curriculum designers to reconsider the education program’s ability to meet the needs of the pre-service teachers. Participants required additional training in English content knowledge, use as a medium of instruction, and pronunciation. The polarized view of teaching the mother tongue and EFL should be reconsidered in light of the current views on bilingualism and bilingual education.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ІНШОМОВНОЇ КОМУНІКАТИВНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ СТУДЕНТІВ-ФІЛОЛОГІВ У ЗАКЛАДАХ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ

Nowadays it is necessary to find effective techniques of teaching foreign languages. The article studies the ways of formation the English communicative competence of the Phylology students of higher educational establishments. Approaches to the definition of the notion of communicative competence, its contents and structure are considered. Communicative language teaching is understood as a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn a language, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom. It is defined that the process of teaching students in higher educational establishments should be organized on the basis of the communicative approach: knowledge of English depends on the competence and ability to use it depending on the situation. It is stated that the communicative approach to learning increases the students’ motivation to acquire a foreign language and improves the efficiency of teaching. Communicative competence includes the following aspects of language knowledge: knowing how to use language for a range of different purposes / functions and vary the use of language according to the setting and the participants; knowing how to produce and understand different types of texts and how to maintain communication despite having limitations in one’s language knowledge (e.g., through using different kinds of communication strategies). The students want to master English to a higher level of accuracy and fluency to improve their further communicative skills in order to effectively carry out communication in the foreign language.

Critical reflection on critical thinking and TEM tests of English major students’ performance

Critical thinking is now called for modern age of educational management, due to education can prepare children and citizen to face with uncertainty of changing world. Complexity of modern world is adapting with a ton of knowledge and millions of situations that shape our children to face with uncertainty. The article aims to critical reflection on critical thinking and TEM tests of English major students’ performance. Skills-based learning in terms of English for minority group is important for quality of education. Educators could not ignore the phenomenon that students lack of critical thinking through various sources of learning and testing. The point of reflection needs to cultivate students’ abilities in independent thinking, innovation, analysis and critical awareness in order to achieve a better goal in language teaching.

Analysis the Implementation of Communicative Language Teaching and Classroom Interaction in the Effort to Increase Learners’ Speaking Skills

Communicative language teaching (CLT) is a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn a language, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom (Richard, 2006:2). Classroom interaction occurs in the process of applying CLT which requires the participation of both learners and teacher. The study aims at finding out how CLT and classroom interaction implemented collaboratively in the effort to increase learners’ speaking skill at private senior high schools in Ruteng, Flores. It’s mixed method research combining the use of descriptive quantitative and qualitative study design with phenomenological approach. For the purpose of quantitative study, it’s chosen 123 students by using cluster random sampling, meanwhile for the purpose of qualitative data, it’s chosen 12 students and three English teachers by using purposive sampling. The research result showed that CLT characteristics (82=66.7%) and teacher’s role (98=79.7%) were mostly categorized as high level of CLT implementation. Meanwhile, material, media and learners’ role were mostly categorized as medium level. English teachers always involve their students in the productive activities. However, they mostly used book or hand out as the media to deliver materials. Integrating technology into classroom, using games as one of method to cheer up the students boredom hardly ever undertaken. Regarding the implementation of classroom interaction; initiation was mostly in the category of low level (76=61.8%). Students mostly do the activities of learning English designed by teacher. They are not engaged with learning autonomy that leads them to have self learning habit. Consequently, students are only able to accomplish the simple tasks

DEVELOPING ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE IN AN ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT FOR PhD-STUDENTS

The high level of personal involvement required by the foreign language learning process is even more difficult for our universities, where the demands of the academic environment are so high that not all graduate students acquire the necessary competencies to meet these requirements. The purpose of the article is to explore the background for acquiring foreign language competence in the academic environment. The research methodology is based mainly on theoretical methods, such as analysis of scientific papers and publications to identify the main problems of the article. The classification method is used to classify the main points of view on the selected problem. The broader goal of language education is independent communication in a foreign language, which is based on the premise that language skills learned in classrooms are easy to transfer to real situations, and that graduate students will gain the necessary experience at the end of the language program. But this is not the case, and the practical results of the acquired skills of communication in a foreign language almost always do not meet the language expectations of the applicants. The current state of educational services indicates a significant increase in the need for high-quality post-graduate education, providing applicants with relevant competencies relevant to the academic environment. In light of this, teachers and PhD students should spend much more time talking about why and how they teach and learn languages. It would also expand the scope of teaching beyond, as a rule, results-oriented, utilitarian orientation. This means paying attention to the teaching process and foreign language competence. More attention should be paid to subjectivity and PhD student experience, an important component of language acquisition. Post-graduate education established the imperative of the competence-based approach, while communicative competencies aren’t directed to the process of inclusion of PhD students in professional culture and remain underestimated.

On Goals of Language Education and Teacher Diversity: Beliefs and Experiences of Japanese-Language Educators in North America

This article reports the results of the online survey on Japanese-language educators’ beliefs and experiences concerning their profession that we conducted in the fall of 2018. A total of 355 teachers in North America responded to the survey. The responses were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative data suggest that the survey respondents almost unanimously agreed on the importance of global and translingual/transcultural competence as a crucial goal for JFL education. However, the items concerning the legitimacy of language varieties (e.g., standard vs. regional dialects), the importance of accuracy (e.g., grammar, pronunciation), and the views on Japanese culture (e.g., emphasis on uniqueness) received rather conflicting responses from the participants. Moreover, qualitative comments brought up the issues of native-speakerism, nihonjinron, and heteronormativity ideologies as prevailing in JFL education. In short, the results illuminate both converging and diverging perspectives of the survey participants and contradictions or dilemmas between aspirational ideals and mundane practices.

Management of the educational process in the field of language education at the university

The problem of managing the educational process in the implementation of language education in a non-linguistic University is studied on the example of MGIMO Odintsovo branch (Moscow region). We consider the mechanisms, algorithms, and systems of pedagogical management, including LMS (learning Management System), which can be used in the conditions of standard, mixed, and distance learning, including during the forced full transition to remote mode in the spring of 2020 and the introduction of mixed learning in the 1st semester of the 2020/2021 academic year. The article presents an algorithm for pedagogical management of the educational process in the field of implementation of language education in a non-linguistic University, which includes the following stages: planning, design, motivation, implementation, monitoring and reflection. The algorithm has been successfully implemented in our University, including in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conditions of pedagogical management of process of implementation of language education (humanistic orientation, taking into account specifics of the spiritual and moral development and the needs of students and individual (gender and age, level of proficiency, etc.). local language system characterized by the following parameters: the dominance of a clear and verified the goals of language education; the combination of complex ideas, the whole process of language education and work programs, teaching materials, etc.; permanently managed correction and development of the language teaching process taking into account changing external and internal conditions, requests and goals; monitoring of the achieved learning results. The criteria for evaluating the quality of management effectiveness are highlighted: the order and transparency of the process of implementing language education; the presence of the "backbone" of the teaching staff of the Department, the cohesion of the University itself "vertically" , etc. The introduction of the proposed algorithm of pedagogical management of the educational process in the field of language education implementation into the educational process of MGIMO showed its effectiveness, which was reflected not only on the results of the session and state exams, but also on the level of language training of graduates who reached the desired B2-C1/C2, having initially A2/B1. Moreover, the implementation of the algorithm developed by US at MGIMO allowed not only to systematize and simplify the management process.

A Comparison Study of Dynamic Assessment and Nondynamic Assessment on EFL Chinese Learners' Speaking Performance: Transfer of Learning

Abstract One goal of language instruction is to support students’ ability to transfer their learning or apply what they have learned in school to another setting. A common problem arises when the expected transfer does not take place, and follow-up assessments are unable to reveal where the student has had difficulty learning the language in such a way that they can apply it in other settings. Dynamic assessment (henceforth, DA) rooted in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory has explained the importance of learning transfer or transcendence. Defined as the change in an individual’s cognitive knowledge that is applicable to other situations, transcendence supports the individual to move beyond the “here-and-now” demands of a given activity. DA differs from traditional nondynamic assessment (henceforth, NDA) in that DA makes it possible for teachers to make teaching recommendations based on their assessment of a learner’s developmental potential. The present study aims at investigating the differences between applying dynamic assessment and nondynamic assessment to EFL Chinese learners’ speaking performance and examining their transfer effect. Data included 119 first-year college students’ performance on integrated speaking tasks and records of the teacher’s interactive support and learners’ responses to the mediation. Results indicated that DA outperformed the NDA group in terms of supporting improvements in college students’ speaking performance. The interactive mediation provided through DA assisted advanced learners’ content development in speaking and assisted beginning learners’ control of grammatical structures. More importantly, the learning effect on the DA group did not fade away over time. Both beginning and advanced level learners performed better transcendence after receiving DA intervention. This study contributes to the literature in that few studies have examined whether DA assists speaking performance at the tertiary level in comparison to nondynamic assessment approaches.

PATTERN PRACTICE REVISITED: FROM SYNTAX TO SENSE AND POSITIVE EMOTIONS

For many second and foreign language learners, the goal of language instruction is fluent oral performance. Such performance can be achieved if the mechanisms underlying L2 performance have been automatized. It is generally recognized that promoting automaticity in the classroom requires massive repetition and consistent practice, which, however, need to correspond to conditions of use in order for transfer into real speech to take place. It is also often acknowledged that meeting these requirements in classroom instruction is very difficult as traditional repetitive practice activities often take time away from communicative language use and fail to induce positive emotions in learners. In this article, we take a fresh look at the theory behind, and the implementation of, pattern practice. We begin by arguing that it is construction grammar that provides a theoretical oundation for pattern practice. We also demonstrate that monolingual drills in the audiolingual method marginalized meaning and were often mechanical. We then present bilingual drills as an alternative exercise type which facilitates pattern recognition, oral repetition and focus on meaning. We show that referring to the native language makes it possible to localize and individualize the examples used and to induce positive emotions in the process. Finally, we discuss communicative drills and use transcripts of classroom interaction to demonstrate that repetitive practice, communication and positive emotions can all be combined.

Building intercultural sensitivity through foreign language learning – Teaching English in Poland Program (TEIP)

Intercultural competence is listed more and more commonly, along with language and communication competences, as one of main goals of language education. Why are intercultural competences a vital resource for the contemporary human? During enculturation and socialization processes we learn not only how to behave, but also how to perceive and comprehend the conduct of others. These rules of perception and interpretation are sort of filters, through which a person looks at the world, interprets it and, basing on these interpretations, forms attitudes and undertakes actions. Given the importance of this resource, comprising elements of intercultural education might be seen as a significant element of foreign language teaching and learning. The article focuses on the theoretical framework and practical features of Teaching English in Poland Program (TEIP), which has been established as a response to the need of developing intercultural competences among children and adolescents under the age of 18. The programme has been managed by The Kosciuszko Foundation since 1991. Teaching English during camps in Poland, linked with experiencing cultural differences between Polish teachers and students and voluntary teachers from the United States brings children and adolescents, as well as Polish teachers, a chance to thrive crucial social skills and competences such as better understanding of other person when trying to empathize and conceive their situation as the “Other”, as well as to recognize similarities and differences to one’s own culture. Intercultural education accompanying TEIP demands not only to provide knowledge and skills about society and culture in which the language to be acquired is used, but also to develop competences which are essential to gain adequate, open mindset towards “otherness” and “differences”.