Language Teaching Classroom Research Articles

Mediating Language Fluency Development: An Action Research Study in a High-School Chinese Classroom

Fluency development is critical in language learning; however, the teacher’s role as a mediator in a learner’s fluency development has been rarely explored in constructive learning classrooms. Under the guidance of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) theory, this study investigated the extent to which teacher-implemented mediation aided learners’ cognitive and utterance fluency development in one Advanced Placement (AP) Chinese high-school task-based language teaching (TBLT) classroom. MLE theory, developed by psychologist Reuven Feuerstein, provided a mediation framework for this study. The design of this action research followed the test-intervention-test procedure and collected pre- and post-test speaking samples from 21 participants. To investigate the effectiveness of the mediation, three utterance fluency variables that correlate to cognitive fluency development were measured: the number of silent pauses, the number of self-corrections, and mean syllable duration (MSD). The pre- and post-test data showed that both the number of silent pauses and MSD statistically significantly decreased on the posttests, which suggests that the meditation intervention improved learners’ utterance and cognitive fluency. Although the decrease in the number of self-corrections on the posttest was not statistically significant in this study, this finding suggests that self-correction is a variable that may require a much longer time to change.

The Adverse Effect of Dehumanizing Practices on Student Engagement and Learning in English Language Teaching Classroom

Knowingly or unknowingly, forgetting our multilingual and multicultural scenario, teachers’ behaviors may create social inequalities and injustices in the classroom; in the name of the dominant language of the school and power relation. Our classroom context is multilingual, multicultural and bilingual where students come from different economic and linguistic background. To some extent, our school system, including textbooks, instruction, curriculum, teaching practices seem to have influenced by the dominant ‘English/Nepali only’ approach. Furthermore, some teachers may not motivate minority students looking their low economic status, uncombed hair, roughly managed shirt-paint, unpolished shoes and low proficiency in English language. In this context, this paper aims to analyze the difficulties and struggle of demotivated (due to teachers’ bias behaviors and friends’ insult upon their appearance and language) Nepali language speaking children’s experiences as they feel insulted in school environment. To fulfill this objective, I adopted narrative research design in line with the qualitative research method. Discussing on the basis of classroom observation and unstructured interviews with the student, this paper analyzes that how the learners are marginalized and forbidden equal access to participate in the mainstream of social and political life that enhances their better learning opportunity and participation in classroom and society to what Bourdieu’s word symbolic violence with some examples of how such social inequalities and injustices are seen in school’s teaching-learning practices. Specially, given the problematic nature of schooling for such learners in some of the schools in Nepal, this paper highlights the need for socially responsive school policies and critical pedagogy, aiming at challenging and changing certain practices having identified a problem; originally propounded by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator; understanding the difficulties of living in poverty, local context entertaining the linguistic and cultural diversity of students. This study contributes to all the educational stakeholders to update and change themselves as human- friendly behaviours with the learners that can maintain social equalities and justice.

Use of ICT in English Language Teaching Classroom

Information Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning is indispensable for improving teachers' professional skills in English language teaching (ELT). This paper examines secondary English language teachers' experiences in using ICT in teaching English in Nepal. The extensive semi-structured interview as a key information-gathering strategy under the phenomenological research method was employed to explore the participants’ experiences in applying ICT skills in teaching English. Four English language teachers who had been using ICT in teaching for at least two years were selected purposively from two public secondary schools in Rupandehi, Nepal. The findings revealed that the use of ICT engages students' cognitive processes and their autonomy in class. It also creates an engaging and dynamic atmosphere for learning and facilitates better access to learning materials. The study can contribute to improving teaching and learning efficacy using ICT skills for effective teaching in public schools in Nepal.

Bridging the Technological Gap in English Language Teaching Classrooms of India with Comic Books

Bridging the Technological Gap in English Language Teaching Classrooms of India with Comic Books

Problem Faced by Indonesian Internship Students in Thai English Language Teaching Classroom Context

What are the problems faced by Indonesian internship students in Thai English Language Teaching Classrooms Based on the problem statement, the proposed objective is to find out the problem or the obstacles experienced by internship students in English language teaching classrooms while teaching in Thailand School. Considering the different cultural backgrounds, this research is expected to explore the internship problems and whether internship students experience any cultural issues. This research uses a qualitative method that explores cross-cultural communication issues in participants, according to Creswell (2018, p. 294) In most cases, qualitative research presents the data, interprets the data, validates it, and shows the potential of the research results in order to expand the steps of data analysis and the methods used. In qualitative research, the social context is taken into consideration while examining events from the perspectives of the individuals being studied. This includes research that uses interpretative naturalistic techniques (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005 Kihlgren, 2016). The findings of the interviews from the three domains of problems faced by the internship students during the teaching internship program are based on the findings of the interview results that have been conducted by the researcher. 1. Teaching Learning Aspects as the Problem in ELT Classroom, 2. Personal Aspects as the Problem in ELT Classroom, 3. Communication Aspects as the Problem in ELT Classroom. Based on the findings that the researcher has found, the difficulties experienced by internship students during the internship program are quite varied, so it is in accordance with the problems found by the researcher that the main problems experienced by internship students in the internship program come from the cross-cultural problems that occur in English language teaching classrooms.

Rethinking Teaching Culture in the Classroom: Teaching Culture Through Translation

This article provides an empirical study on rethinking teaching culture and its impact on learning language in second language (L2) teaching classroom. The study sample consists of twenty students majoring in English as participants, randomly selected from fourth year students, Department of English and Translation, AlQalam University, Yemen. The participants’ task was to choose the best translation for twenty English proverbs each. The translation test was constructed on Google.Sheets. The findings indicate that students’ performance has developed considerably through teaching them the culture of the proverbs involved. This was supported by a follow-up survey questionnaire, whose results consolidated the study findings that culture should be taught vis-à-vis language in L2 classroom.

On the Role of Group Competition Mechanism in International Chinese Classroom

International Chinese language education is a field that has attracted much attention in recent years. Under the background of China's increasing international influence, more and more people realize the importance of learning Chinese. However, with the development of international Chinese education, we should also pay attention to the research of international Chinese education classroom strategy. Based on the observation of online open courses, with group competition mechanism as the theoretical basis, take the class “Whose bag is this” in the first grade of a primary school in the Philippines as an example, observed the classroom group competition mechanism, this paper mainly introduces the competition mechanism into the Chinese language teaching classroom advantages and disadvantages, and further put forward the principles and methods of classroom competition mechanism. The aim is to provide new teaching ideas for Chinese teachers and facilitate and improve their teaching efficiency and quality.

Stimulated recall, teacher beliefs, and teacher practices: Using structured reflective practice to examine teacher talk

AbstractTeacher talk is one of the key instructional components in English language teaching classrooms. This study used reflective practice and stimulated recall to investigate teacher beliefs and practices about teacher talk. Data came from two participants who teach English as a second language (ESL) courses at a private university in the United States. Findings of the study illustrated a disconnect between teacher beliefs and practices regarding teacher talk, suggested that quality and quantity of teacher talk are intertwined constructs that cannot be understood in isolation of each other, and highlighted the role of silent time in teacher talk. Implications for how stimulated recall through reflective practice can be used as a teacher education tool are discussed.

Unlocking the Potential: Exploring EFL Instructors' Perception in Enhancing Oral Proficiency of Saudi EFL Learners

This study examines English language teachers' perceptions of their instructional strategies in daily English as a Foreign Language classroom instruction in Saudi Arabia. The study focuses on three aspects of second language learning: lesson planning, classroom management, and external pressures from tests and assessments. Ten EFL teachers were chosen randomly based on specific criteria such as having at least three years of teaching experience, no familiarity with the research, and currently engaged in full-time EFL instruction for Saudi students. Semi-structured interviews were used in the study, each lasting approximately 55 minutes. The information was gathered in three stages: deconstruction, coding, and incorporation into the larger dataset. The study concluded that teachers play a vital role in the language classroom, implementing instructional practices to prepare students for exams and other academic demands. In conclusion, improving English speaking skills is essential for success in today's competitive global world. Teachers should embrace pedagogical approaches, prioritizing learning and incorporating diverse activities to engage students and foster creativity.

EXPLORING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER BELIEFS AND PRACTICES IN TURKEY: A CASE STUDY

This case study explores the relationship between an Italian as a foreign language teacher’s beliefs and online teaching practices in a tertiary education setting during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. Specifically, it aims to find out the teachers’ beliefs with regard to their professional identities, and their roles in foreign language teaching classrooms. Besides, it was discussed if the teachers’ beliefs concerning their role identities are related to their classroom practices. Data were collected over an academic term through one semi-structured interview and two observations conducted at beginning and at the end of the semester in order to see if there are any differences according to the professional roles of the instructor in the course of time depending on the learners’ enhanced Italian language competence. The findings of the study revealed that the instructor acted out as a manager, facilitator, input provider, motivator and a translator in two observations, showing a slight difference in degree of synchronous interaction among the instructor and the students with the printed text, video tape or Web site. The interview responses revealing the instructor’s beliefs were correlated with the roles observed in synchronous communication. This study is limited to the online foreign language classroom. It would be interesting to observe what other roles the teachers play in the face-to-face classroom. It may be suggested that the studies investigating those of teachers instructing foreign languages other than English may enlighten the research on teachers’ beliefs and their professional role identities and contribute to the professional development of foreign language teachers. Last but not least, for professional growth of pre-service foreign language teachers, preliminary studies on teacher cognition should be included in the curriculum of teaching practicum.

Influencing Factors of Boredom Generation in Foreign Language Learning and Measures to Relieve It: A Perspective Paper

Learners' emotions profoundly affect foreign language acquisition. According to the control value theory, foreign language learning boredom is a kind of negative emotion. Foreign language learning boredom can dampen learners' interest in foreign language learning, reduce the efficiency of foreign language acquisition, and have a negative impact on foreign language learning. In view of this, the article aims to outline the influencing factors affecting the emergence of foreign language learning boredom and propose corresponding measures to alleviate it. It is hoped that this will reduce the negative impact of boredom on foreign language learning, improve the efficiency of foreign language learning, and reduce the resistance to foreign language learning. It is also used to refine foreign language classroom teaching, alleviate the negative impact of boredom in foreign language classrooms, and improve classroom efficiency.

LEARNING HOW TO WRITE SOCIALLY APPROPRIATE EMAILS THROUGH TEXTBOOKS: AN EVALUATION OF INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS

his study investigates email pragmatic instruction in four sets of international English textbooks. The prevalence of email communication in today’s technology-mediated world necessitates its inclusion in second language classroom instruction. However, our analysis of the books reveals inadequate attention to the sociocultural aspects of email writing. The analysis also indicates limited opportunities for learners to notice form-function-context connections, engage in output practice, and reflect on their pragmatic performance. These findings underscore the gap between research recommendations and current teaching practices, highlighting the urgent need for textbook writers to integrate research findings for enhanced pragmatic instruction. The findings also provide recommendations for teaching email communication in the second language classroom.

The Discussion of Communicative Language Teaching in Language Classrooms

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), also known as communicative approach, has witnessed a tremendous growth of research since it was developed by British applied linguists, as an effective approach to L2 learning and teaching. The basic idea of CLT is that language instruction should focus on communicative proficiency instead of on mere mastery of structures. With the guidance of five interconnected principles summarized by Richards and Rodgers, various implementations are realized. However, the implementation of CLT in Asia still encounter a number of difficulties due to some conceptual and contextual mismatches. In the short discussion of CLT, its background, definition, main characteristics as well as its strengths and limitations are contained. The article aims to help foreign language teachers to acquire a comprehensive understanding of CLT and adapt their teaching beliefs to cope with the challenges in practical teaching.

Towards a more equitable ELT practice: Practicing queer inquiry in Thailand's university language classrooms

AbstractDespite the sustained focus towards inclusive language teaching and queer pedagogy in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and language education in recent years, employing an inclusive pedagogical practice and having language teaching resources that respect the gender identity among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) students remain a challenge in many English language teaching (ELT) classrooms throughout the world. Employing an auto‐ethnomethodological approach, in this article the authors present their teaching practice experience in an attempt to queer their ELT classroom and provide a safe space for all gender identities in learning the language through a queer‐informed language teaching framework in an ELT classroom at a university in Thailand. It is the goal of this inquiry to add to the empirical evidence for gender inclusivity in an ELT classroom. Additionally, this study offers language practitioners consideration for having a queer‐informed classroom where there is diversity, inclusion, and engagement and where students are free to discuss their sexual identities, adding to the growing influence of gender perspective and inclusivity in heteronormative language education.

Unveiling the Significance: Pattern Practice in Language Learning

This theoretical article sheds light on an aspect of traditional language teaching that is still used in foreign language teaching classrooms and commonly called drills. These repetitive drills are designed to practice specific language elements, such as grammar structures. The current paper tries to test the assumption that the practice of mechanical drills helps students of English reinforce the learning of the target language through practice. Thus, the paper mainly evaluates the role of “mechanical practice,” or “pattern practice” in improving the learning of the target language with a particular emphasis on the learning advantages of a type of mechanical practice called repetition drills. Tracing recent research on drills, the researcher concludes that if used appropriately and in some pedagogical situations contextualized, the practice of these drills can be effective for language learning and should be included as a key part of the instructional practice.

Is it possible to have a dialogical English language classroom? Challenges and advantages

The research aims to investigate are opportunities and challenges in English language teaching classrooms for dialogic teaching. To achieve the aim of the research, a multiple case study design was chosen. The cases were determined by considering the socio-economic, socio-cultural, and success levels of the schools. The data are obtained from qualitative techniques which are observation of the class and interviews with teachers. The study group consisted of students in 5th grade and English Language Teachers. The findings of the article consist of observing the dialogues in the classrooms using a structured observation form and interviews with teachers using a semi-structured interview form. The research offers new insights for further practice and research, in terms of identifying challenges and advantages for the application of dialogic teaching. Keywords: Dialogy; dialogic classroom; dialogic teaching; English language; English language teaching

Application of virtual reality technology in second language classroom teaching in colleges and universities

The design and implementation of teachers’ classroom teaching strategies is the key to the success of second language classroom teaching. In order to improve the quality of second-language classroom teaching in universities and enhance the interactivity in the teaching process, the application of virtual reality technology in second-language classroom teaching in universities is studied. Firstly, an integrated ware platform is designed for second language classroom teaching in universities, which consists of an integrated ware library and a database. Then virtual reality technology is used to design an integrated ware library within the platform and collect information such as various teaching media resources designed in the classroom teaching content into the integrated ware library; Utilize 3DS Max software in virtual reality technology to construct three-dimensional models of teaching scenes and entities; Choose to use linear difference method to render 3D model colors; From a visual perspective, enhance the realism of the rendered model through image enhancement technology and color contrast enhancement technology. According to the functions of the physical object, various interactive events are added to the created teaching scene and the three-dimensional model of the entity and stored in the integrable ware library to achieve panoramic roaming of the second language classroom teaching scene in universities. The experimental results show that the teaching platform designed by this method can accurately construct three-dimensional models of teaching scenes and objects with good visual effects, providing users with a more realistic sensory experience and effectively improving students’ mastery of teaching content.

Analysis of College Students Participation in Language Classrooms

There are already many literature studies on the phenomenon of low classroom participation and lack of speaking among Asian students. Previous literature has shown that the academic success of university learning is closely related to classroom participation. Classroom participation promotes communication between teachers and students, helps students establish critical thinking, and enhances students' confidence. Nevertheless, students' enthusiasm for classroom participation is still not high. In this paper, through the literature research method, the problem of students participation in the language classrooms in college is analyzed. The study shows that flipped learning, online discussions, and incorporating classroom participation into classroom assessments can help students actively participate in language classrooms. These reasons and corresponding methods provide alternative, correct, and effective teaching guidance for Chinese language classroom teaching.

Construction and Reform of the Russian Audiovisual Speaking Course in Higher Vocational Institutions in the Context of Deep Learning

Abstract This paper focuses on the development and construction of language teaching in higher vocational colleges and universities under the perspective of deep learning, proposes the use of multimedia courseware to update the course content, interactive teaching to optimize knowledge transfer and skills training, and the creation of an interactive training environment for the Russian language. Analyze the language learning environment of higher vocational colleges under deep learning, clarify the direction of Russian language teaching, use wavelet transform algorithm to compress and process Russian language teaching resources, and enrich the teaching construction. Classify language classroom teaching interaction behaviors, clarify the criteria for judging teaching interaction behaviors, put forward connection timing classification technology under deep learning, and construct classroom interaction behavior recognition based on speech recognition. Combining video samples to analyze the classroom interactive behaviors of Russian language teaching, analyzing the use of Russian digital teaching resources, and evaluating the advantages of the reform of the Russian Audiovisual Speaking course in the light of students’ satisfaction with the reform of the course. In the interactive Russian language classroom teaching, the proportion of teacher’s and student’s speech is 24.24% and 30.205%, respectively. The proportion of open-ended questions and closed questions is 4.68% and 3.67%, respectively, and 83.62% of the students are satisfied with the classroom teaching of Russian Audiovisual and Speaking, so it can be seen that the construction and reform of the Russian language course forms a classroom that takes the students as the main body and the teacher as the auxiliary teaching This shows that the construction and reform of the Russian language course forms a classroom with students as the main body and teachers as the auxiliary teaching, which is in line with the needs of Russian language teaching.

An Analysis of the Innovation of English Teaching Strategies and Their Impact on Learning Effectiveness in the Age of Big Data

Abstract In recent years, a wealth of research on English language teaching practice has emerged in the academic community at home and abroad, mainly focusing on the use of teachers’ strategies in the English language teaching classroom and less on whether the use of strategies can enhance students’ English language learning effectiveness. In this paper, we look for the factors affecting the effectiveness of English learning from the two subjects of teachers and students respectively, identify the main variables of the study, and put forward the relevant research hypotheses. By using partial least squares regression to construct a model of research impact on learning effectiveness, a regression test is proposed that utilizes Person’s correlation analysis as a benchmark. The research data were collected by means of an online survey, and in the descriptive statistics of the variables, the content mastery measure of the sense of learning goal effectiveness scored the highest at 4.253, and the learning content explanation of the English teaching innovation was adequate. The R2 of English learning strategies and goal effectiveness sense is 0.289 and adjusted is 0.265, the F value is 378.621, and the P value is less than 0.001, which is positive and significant. The more frequently English teaching innovation strategies are used in this study, the higher the sense of goal efficacy, which can significantly improve the effectiveness of learning.