Language Teaching In Universities Research Articles

The underlying action-oriented and task-based approach of the CEFR and its implementation in language testing and assessment at university

Abstract The underlying methodological approach of the CEFR is defined as being “action-oriented” and task-based (Council of Europe. 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press: 9), although it explicitly leaves room for a variety of approaches, since the CEFR is a framework document. The action-oriented approach is, however, not coherently developed throughout the publication as it does not explain its application in assessment (Chapter 9). Chapter 9 presents a general introduction to the principles of language assessment but does not explain how the assessment can be contextualised so that the test-taker acts as a “social agent”. Although related documents on testing and assessment such as the Manual for Relating Language Examinations to the CEFR (Council of Europe 2009) and the Manual for Language Test Development and Examining (Council of Europe 2011) provide tools on assessment practices, they do not explain how to conceptualise an action-oriented task-based assessment. The CEFR Companion Volume (Council of Europe 2020) also stresses the underlying action-oriented approach of the CEFR in teaching and learning, but as it focuses explicitly on teaching and learning, it too does not cover the area of testing and assessment. For university language teaching, learning and assessment, it is necessary to develop a coherent, holistic methodology that applies the action-oriented and task-based approach to language teaching, learning and assessment, and applies a constructive alignment, which has a particular focus on the learner as a social agent. Initially, this requires the development of course content and the related assessment tasks to be based on a thorough needs analysis for a specific language teaching programme. In this way, university language centres can rethink their approach to teaching and assessment and implement changes both in their teaching and in their assessment and testing in order to offer a more coherent programme to their learners, which makes better use of the CEFR Framework. This paper summarises the principles of task-based language testing and explains in which contexts this approach might be particularly fruitful. It also presents the author’s experience gained in implementing the approach at institutional and national levels, and the challenges involved in managing this change.

The Application Research of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analysis Technology in University Foreign Language Teaching

In recent years, with the development of computer linguistics and artificial intelligence technology in the field of English education, the research methods and technical means of artificial intelligence big data analysis have been introduced into the research and practice of foreign language teaching. As a new element, artificial intelligence big data analysis provides a new approach and research perspective for foreign language teaching. In order to solve the problems of foreign language teaching resources sharing, optimizing teaching resources, improve the efficiency of foreign language topic teaching, and improving the interaction between teachers and students, based on the theoretical and practical research of foreign language teaching in colleges and universities, this paper uses artificial intelligence and big data technology, firstly classifies the artificial intelligence system of foreign language teaching in colleges and universities, secondly, it classifies the information technology of artificial intelligence in high school. The ability of information storage and information processing in college foreign language teaching is analyzed theoretically in computer language. The software and hardware design of the artificial intelligence information integrated system of college foreign language teaching is carried out. The results show that: relying on the design of the storage module and system server, the hardware design of the system is realized, and the software design of the system is realized based on the system running environment design and database design. Finally, the paper puts forward the countermeasures and suggestions for the development of AI in foreign language teaching.

The impact of multilingual education policy on university language teachers’ professional development

This article reports on a case study that investigated language teachers’ perceptions of a newly launched multilingual programme in a Chinese university. Forty-one teachers from the university were interviewed. Data analysis reveals that the teachers perceived the new programme as an administration-dominated initiative that would impact on their teaching practice and research engagements. Particularly, they questioned the viability of its pedagogical innovation, and cast doubt on its implications in terms of what type of knowledge and research would be valued. They also viewed the new programme as a form of institutionalisation, resulting in the reallocation of resources within the university. These perceptions demonstrate how the innovative programme, imposed as a policy initiative, could influence the ecosystem of the whole university and affect its sustainable development.

Analysis of College English Online Test and Language Teaching

In order to adapt to the current Internet information environment, college English teaching also needs to carry out corresponding online teaching courses based on the actual situation, so as to make college English teaching more flexible and improve students' enthusiasm for learning English. English online testing can help teachers Deepen the understanding of students, and continuously improve and revise the teaching methods to strengthen the effectiveness of language teaching. This article attempts to analyze the relationship between online testing and language teaching in English universities based on the actual teaching situation and current online course development, in order to promote the sound development of college English teaching.

The Production-Oriented Approach Updated: Introduction to the Special Issue

AbstractMore than a decade has passed since Wen Qiufang (2007) first proposed that foreign language teaching could benefit from output-driven practices in the classroom. Her original ideas were reformulated and further elaborated in the Production-Oriented Approach (POA), which aims to deal with the input-output separation in foreign language teaching in Chinese universities and colleges to optimize students’ learning (Wen, 2015, 2016b). Integrating the strengths of Chinese traditional pedagogy and Western instructional approaches, this approach engages learners with production, merging the learning and use of language to enhance the efficiency of language teaching (Illes, 2018, p. 242) in a Chinese context.This introduction to the special issues includes three major sections. It starts out with an overview of what the POA system includes and how it works with a focus on its teaching procedures. The second section is about dialectical research (DR), a new research paradigm specifically designed for instructed second language acquisition (Wen, 2017b) with “dialectical materialism as its philosophical basis” (Wen, 2019, p. 385). Finally, seven papers collected in this issue are introduced. We hope that this special issue sets a research agenda towards a better understanding of the POA.

KEY APPROACHES OF THE LANGUAGE TEACHING: THEN AND NOW

The article deals with the analysis of key approaches used for language teaching in Ukrainian universities in 1850–1917 and at the present moment to apply those of them which were used for language learning at Ukrainian universities in 1850–1917. The most widespread method was the translation method. At present, alongside the traditional approach, the innovative approach is also used. The key method is communicative. It could be useful to apply a multidisciplinary for teaching foreign languages. The continuity was topical for academic instruction in 1850–1917 and it is still topical in the present.

Building a Model for Teaching Korean in Universities under the Vision of Experiential Learning

The rapid development of the economy and the continuous improvement of the education system made the state begin to pay more attention to the talents in the education sector, especially in the context of the development of economic globalization, the demand for talents in foreign languages is increasing. China and South Korea are closely connected, so the demand for Korean language talents in our country is increasing, and many universities have established Korean language majors, and is constantly exploring teaching models and methods to enhance Korean language teaching, among which, experiential teaching being the university's Korean language teaching is the important ways and means. This paper mainly analyzes the construction of the model of Korean language teaching in universities under experiential learning.

Reaching for the Gold Standard: Metaphors and Good University Teachers

Abstract This article considers “good” teachers in the context of current developments in universities in China to reach a “gold standard” of considerably higher and more challenging levels of teaching and learning. We outline this context and consider concepts of good teachers in classical Chinese traditions and more recent Western thinking as a possible dialogue within and between cultures of learning. Using cognitive and cultural linguistic perspectives, we analyze metaphorical concepts of “gold” in “the gold standard” as related to teachers. We report our applied metaphor research which analyzes Chinese students’ expectations, values and beliefs about good university language teachers; this presents a rich picture beyond developing knowledge, skills and understanding to include strong social and moral characteristics. Other aspects which recognize the complexity of “good” teachers show a student appreciation of teachers’ tireless effort, devotion and selfless sacrifice: these aspects are absent in many discussions of good teachers. The participant-centered picture from elicited metaphor analysis is part of students’ “cultures of learning,” but this should be developed culturally for the gold standard through further teacher development and student engagement. In line with interaction in cultures of learning, we indicate some classroom ways to extend students’ thinking through scaffolding teacher-student interaction based on textbook activities.

Teacher Classroom Questioning Practice and Assessment Literacy: Case Studies of Four English Language Teachers in Chinese Universities

This study examined classroom teacher questioning practice and explored how this process was affected by teacher assessment literacy and other mediating factors based on four case studies. Classroom observations were conducted to identify major patterns in teacher questioning practice and semi-structured interviews were carried out to probe the participants’ perception of classroom assessment, and how other factors, if there were any, along with teacher assessment literacy, impacted on teachers’ questioning practices. The finding showed that different teacher assessment literacies resulted in variability in teacher questioning patterns. It also illustrated that teacher day-to-day classroom practice involved a complex interplay among factors at the teacher personal, institutional, and socio-cultural levels. This study highlights the legitimacy of teacher questioning as a sub-construct of teacher assessment literacy, and calls for the establishment of a social and institutional culture aligning with assessment for learning principles.

Academic Writing in English in the Structure of Higher Education in Russia

Intensification of research work at engineering universities of Russian Federation leads to the increase of publication activity of graduate and PhD students in high-impact English language journals. However, the level of academic writing skills still remains rather low. On one hand, it results from the fact that the majority of applicants to engineering institutions have only basic knowledge of a foreign language. On the other hand, the curriculums of most Russian universities do not include developing academic writing skills as a stand-alone discipline or a part of the “Foreign Language” discipline. This paper aims at considering the main constituents of academic writing in a foreign language, such as the current state policy in higher education, the content of academic writing for engineering specialties, the publication process participants, the available resources for developing and improving the required skills in the realities of university language education; as well as identifying the external factors which create favorable conditions for developing academic writing skills of engineering students.

Small Study in the Big Data Era: Application of Network Information Resources in Japanese Learning and Translation Studies

With the advent of the era of big data, Internet + has been included in national strategies, bringing unprecedented opportunities and challenges to all walks of life. Higher education is no exception. Internet + education is a major subject that requires a lot of effort to think about in foreign language teaching in colleges and universities. As an essential carrier of network information resources, iPad features massive information, mobile convenience, and robust interaction, which is quite suitable for the teaching of various courses. In this paper, the possibility of using the iPad in Japanese literature translation courses to enrich the teaching modes and concepts is explored.

Exploration on SPOC-based Blended Teaching Strategies in Business English Reading Course

As the new direction of education reform in the internet era, the SPOC-based blended teaching mode has become increasingly popular in universities, because it can enrich teaching content, diversify learning path, enhance interaction between teachers and learners, and most importantly improve students’ learning enthusiasm and effectiveness. However, due to the lack of substantial knowledge and strategies on SPOC-based teaching concept as well as computer technology, many English teachers cannot conduct SPOC-based blended teaching mode well in their classes even though they have the intention to do it well. Therefore, taking business English reading course as a case study, this paper explores some effective strategies on how to apply SPOC-based blended teaching in English courses, so as to provide useful enlightenment for foreign language teachers in universities and colleges to better conduct blended teaching in their classes in the future.

Analysis of the Application of Experiential Teaching Model in Japanese Language Teaching in Universities

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Becoming University Language Teachers in South Korea: The Application of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Social Cognitive Career Theory

Due to the developments of globalisation, the international reputation, the entertainment industry, and Korean pop culture, a large number of language teachers, international schoolteachers, and professional school staff decided to travel to South Korea for career development and enhancement. However, due to a constant shortage of teachers through high turnover, many South Korean schools and universities are facing recruitment issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate two problems. Why do individuals decide to come to South Korea as foreign language university teachers, and how do individuals describe their teaching experiences as foreign language teachers at one of the university teaching and learning environments in South Korea. From the perspective of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the results indicated that all participants travelled to South Korea for financial and career development goals. Also, all faced negative experiences and discrimination due to their skin colours and nationalities. The researcher hopes the appropriate personnel can take this study as an opportunity to improve and enhance their current workplace and community for a better environment and development.

A study of the level of professional image of future foreign language teachers in Ukrainian universities

The article addresses the problem of development of the professional image of a foreign language teacher in Ukraine. The present study was contemplated to ascertain the attitude of university students in Ukraine towards the studied notion and reveal the level of its formation. The structure of the professional image of future foreign language teachers consist of several underlying constructs which have been described in the paper: cognitive, axiological and operational components. Results show that Ukrainian teachers-to-be held different perceptions to the notion of professional image of a foreign language teacher. The purpose of this survey is to provide suggestion of organizational, personal and pedagogical conditions to facilitate the development of professional image of future foreign language teachers in Ukrainian higher education institutions.

Innovative approaches to foreign language teaching in Russian universities

The article considers an innovative approach to teaching foreign languages in higher learning institutions, which is prompted by the forthcoming structural reform of higher education in Russia. The essence of this innovative method is peer learning. Integrating this method into foreign language classes has a number of advantages. First of all, it gives opportunities for students to share their experience and knowledge with each other without any concerns over the age difference. Then, it allows them to prove their language skills. Finally, it provides a sense of self-esteem: our data indicate that students feel more confident and self-aware when they demonstrate their expertise participating in cooperative learning tasks in a foreign language. So the primary concept of peer learning is that changing their knowledge students learn from each other. The article provides effective teaching techniques of implementing individual and group work through peer learning strategy and describes some cooperative learning situations which can improve students’ proficiency in English.

Linguistic diversity – an essential factor in plurilingual education

This article is designed to explain, emphasizing, the notion of university language education, as well as the importance of university education in the life of university education, in the life of the intellectual society, which is always in the process of development. This analysis is based on several sources. One, and the most important point, is the concept of „linguistic variety” – an essential and fundamental factor, in fact, in plurilingual education. Thus, the central role of the student is investigated, as well as the major role of the teacher in the plurilingual education, which is based on the linguistic variety.

Teaching Reading and Writing: Theories and Practices

The importance of combining reading and writing has already been recognized by university language teachers. This paper addresses the theoretical basis for the combination as well as the guidance of the approaches upon second language teaching (SLT) in China. The approaches to second language acquisition (SLA) have experienced three stages: cognitive approach, socio-cultural approach, and socio-cognitive approach, and these approaches shed huge lights on teaching reading and writing in the university settings of China.

Meeting the Challenges of Delivering Specialised English Language Training for University Staff

The drive for internationalisation in European universities, and the resulting increase in English-taught programmes and international students, is bringing new challenges to university language centres. While many universities now offer linguistic and methodological training to the lecturers involved, it is essential that adequate training is also made available to non-academic staff. In 2015 the University of Padova Language Centre was asked to train administrative staff who deal with international visitors and students, many of whom lack effective communication skills in the local language. The language teachers involved find themselves in a new role, with challenges that differ from those associated with teaching students. This paper discusses how the specific language learning needs of university administrative staff are met by highly qualified and experienced university language teachers. It examines participant feedback and suggests training solutions that could enhance communication within an increasingly international academic community.

Research on College English Teaching under the Background of Artificial Intelligence

The application of language service products of artificial intelligence has brought great challenges and opportunities to language teaching in colleges and universities: promoting the teaching model innovation; changing the way of students learning; changing the basic functions of teachers. The teaching mode of college English under the background of artificial intelligence should be influenced by several aspects as follows: based on artificial intelligence in college English listening teaching; college English oral teaching based on robot; based on the number of the teaching of artificial intelligence in college English writing; cloud service based artificial intelligence college English in translation teaching.