Language Teaching Research Articles

Learners’ attitudes towards blended learning at Nguyen Tat Thanh University

In many educational settings accross the world, including Vietnam, blended learning has grown quickly due to evidence of its benefits over traditional classroom or online instruction alone. The study examined the attitudes of students at Nguyen Tat Thanh University toward the existing English blended learning course with the overall goal of enhancing the quality of language teaching and learning. A total of 367 students non-majoring in English language participated in the survey conducted at Nguyen Tat Thanh University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The 44-item survey was used to collect the data, and SPSS version 20.0 was used for statistical analysis. The results demonstrated that most students had very positive sentiments towards four factors: the course's overall quality, the quality of the instructors, the course material, and the supportive services. However, a few students expressed dissatisfaction with the technology system, as they frequently encounter technical issues when engaging in online learning outside of the classroom.

Cultural Persons’ Representations in High School English Language Teaching Materials in Indonesia

Integrating both local and target cultures in English Language Teaching Materials and emphasizes the need for balance to promote cultural diversity and understanding become an important thing in today’s era. During teaching practice activities at SMAN 17 Tebo, the researcher found that the cultural materials in the English Teaching Materials used are not balanced between the source culture, target culture, and international culture. This has an impact on cross-cultural understanding and less than optimal cultural awareness among students. The purpose of this research is to explore the representation of cultural persons in government textbook and teacher-made modules. This research uses qualitative content analysis as a research design. This research involved a sample of government-approved English language textbooks entitled “Bahasa Inggris Work in Progress” and a teacher-made module at SMAN 11 Tebo. The results show that from the theme of great athletes in chapter one of the Bahasa Inggris Work In Progress textbook and teacher-made module, it can be seen that the dominant sports branch comes from international culture. While the cultural persons represented as athletes are dominated by the source culture. It is recommended that future development of English language teaching (ELT) materials, both in government textbooks like Bahasa Inggris Work in Progress and teacher-made modules, should strive for a more balanced representation of source culture, target culture, and international culture for fostering intercultural competence among Indonesian students.

The Applicability of Critical Pedagogy in Adult English Language Teaching (ELT)

This paper explores the applicability of critical pedagogy in adult ELT, emphasizing its role in fostering social awareness and change. Critical pedagogy encourages learners to critically examine their social reality, engage in meaningful dialogues, and become active agents for social justice. However, incorporating this approach into adult ELT faces some challenges. This study addresses four major obstacles to critical pedagogy implementation. The four challenges are a) lack of teacher preparation, b) potential risk of misguiding learners, c) cultural barriers in certain countries and regions, and d) insufficient infrastructure for aligning materials and assessment with critical pedagogy. Despite these challenges, evidence from literature and existing successful case studies suggest that critical pedagogy can be integrated inro ELT with thoughtful adjustments. The current paper provides insights for adult English program leaders to overcome such challenges and implement critical pedagogy effectively, thus empowering learners to achieve both linguistic proficiency and social transformation.

Syntactic Analysis of Nominal Clauses Based on Chomsky’s Generative Grammar and Implications for Language Teaching

Nominal clause is a clause with nominal feature and syntactic analysis is the study of laws of sentence constructions. And Chomsky’s Generative Grammar is a very useful method to analyse a sentence in an explanatory way. This paper aims to focus on how to understand a nominal clause under Generative Grammar (GG) for the explanatory adequacy. In doing so, it will give a brief explanation to the generative mechanisms of simple sentence under GG, then move on to the similar mechanisms of complex sentence, here, it will focus on nominal clauses. On the syntactic analysis of nominal clauses, there are two steps: first recognizing its position in the whole sentence, then picking a proper connective for the nominal clause. Notice this paper will analyse a complex noun sentence for two sentences, one is the whole sentence, and another is the small clause, namely, the nominal clause within the whole sentence. Thus, it can conclude a way to analyse nominal clauses syntactically, and understand their inner constructions. Furthermore, it can explain why a nominal clause form like this and have a better understanding of complex sentences. More importantly, such method can play its role in linguistics and foreign language teaching, which would help language teachers build up a better understanding of the nature of language and the process of language learning.

Language Teacher Agency and Identity in Internationalized Higher Education: An Ecological Perspective

ABSTRACTSubstantial literature has focused on language teacher agency and identity in relation to learners in classrooms. Relatively little research exists regarding the nature of language teacher identity shaped by contextual factors brought on by the internationalization of education. To address the gap in the literature, this study explored how student teachers in a TESOL program negotiate their language teacher agency and identity in the ecosystems of an internationalized institution of higher education while contributing to different ESL programs. While pursuing an MA degree in TESOL with a teaching opportunity at an Intensive English program for non‐matriculating students or an ESL service program for pathway program students at a US university, seven student teachers participated in semi‐structured interviews, which were triangulated with the student teachers’ portfolios of lesson plans and reflection papers. The analysis demonstrated the student teachers’ agentic beliefs, choices, and practices in relation to contextual factors in the nested ecosystems of internationalized higher education, such as international students’ needs in the microsystem, training opportunities in the mesosystem, institutional policy and practice in the exosystem, and broad cultural norms in relation to language education in the macrosystem.

Self-esteem, Islamic Behavior, and Writing Assessment for Indonesian Language Madrasa Teachers: An Empirical Phenomenological Investigation

Improving students' academic achievement in Indonesian language studies at madrasas requires effective writing evaluations. This study explores how Islamic behavior and self-esteem attribution among Indonesian language teachers at Madrasas influence their approach to creating writing assessments using a phenomenological method. Through in-depth interviews with twenty teachers, the thematic analysis revealed that teachers' Islamic values provide a religious framework that shapes their understanding and application of assessment development. Teachers' evaluations incorporate moral and religious principles, reflecting on their self-worth and the intrinsic value of students' written work. Islamic behavior and the attribution of self-esteem enhance teachers' commitment to fair, reflective assessments, which ultimately support students' literacy and academic growth. The study suggests that embedding Islamic behavior and self-esteem attribution in writing assessments strengthens teacher development and student success in Indonesian language studies. Future studies could further explore the role of these factors in teacher preparation and assessment practices in Indonesian madrasas.

Contributions of an action research initiative to English language teachers’ professional wellbeing

ABSTRACT In this study, we report on how a group of teachers engaged in action research (AR) and navigated their emotions in the way of experiencing wellbeing. We collected data over one year from rounds of semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, classroom observations, and post-class discussions. Data analyses showed that the teachers experienced wellbeing in three major terms: From initial emotional tensions to subsequent emotional wellness, developing wellbeing through practicing collective care, and wellbeing and self-empowerment as learning. Collectively, the teachers moved from hedonic to eudemonic forms of wellbeing during and after the AR programme, spanning their programme, inter-individual, and intra-individual levels of empowerment. Based on the findings, we provide implications for teacher educators in how to systematise wellbeing in teacher education programmes so that teachers experience higher levels of wellbeing across their career span, especially through AR initiatives. Furthermore, the study concludes with insights into how pre-service and in-service teachers could be supported through anchoring AR into teacher education programmes in order to experience enhanced wellbeing.

FUTURE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ USE OF SELF-REGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES IN DEVELOPING LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

Abstract. One of the key objectives of education evaluation is to increase students’ capability in learning how to learn. For this purpose, teachers need to teach students the required knowledge and effective strategies. Self-regulation plays a major role in learning English in order to achieve setting goals. It is significant to monitor and control the behaviors and motivation in learning process. The purpose of this study was to explore English Language Teaching (ELT) pre-service teachers’ use of self-regulated learning strategies in developing language proficiency. The participants were 70 junior and senior students enrolled at the Foreign Languages Teaching Department of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University in Turkestan. This study used quantitative descriptive research design. A survey method using questionnaire was used in order to collect necessary data and analyzed descriptively using Statistical Package for Social sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The result of this study showed that ELT pre-service teachers use different types of self-regulated learning strategies in different situations. To be precise, the record keeping and monitoring strategy was found to be used more often than the strategies, such as rehearsal and memorization, seeking social assistance, goal setting and planning, seeking opportunities to practice English and self-consequences strategies. The study determines the learners who are soon-to-be English language teachers’ perceptions of using different kinds of self-regulation strategies, therefore the results might be useful in teaching English in the language classroom.

Uncovering the role of English language teaching coursebooks in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage / Explorando el rol de los libros de texto de inglés para salvaguardar el patrimonio cultural inmaterial

UNESCO and local organizations raise concern over the threats towards Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and continue their efforts to get help from any field possible for introducing ICH elements and raising awareness. Education is one of those fields. Considering the relation between culture and English language teaching, ICH can be incorporated into English classrooms. Besides, being the primary source of input in a language classroom, ELT coursebooks can serve as a bearer of culture. In this regard, this paper discusses the role of English language teaching coursebooks in the safeguarding of ICH by revealing the representation of ICH elements in locally produced coursebooks from 16 different countries: Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Republic of Korea, Romania, Türkiye, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Findings from the study supported the idea that ELT coursebooks can be utilized as a medium for safeguarding ICH while improving the learners’ language skills.

ChatGPT in language education: Centering learner voices

Within educational linguistics and applied language studies, the debut of ChatGPT has spurred significant scholarship analyzing its potential benefits and consequences in language teaching and learning. However, limited empirical research on factors influencing language learners’ use or non-use of ChatGPT exists. From an ecological theoretical perspective, an understanding of this (non)usage is nevertheless essential: a nuanced understanding of if, how, and why language learners use these tools is necessary to craft meaningful approaches to ChatGPT and other similar generative AI tools in the language classroom. To address this gap, the current article reports on an online survey of 173 learners of non-English languages at a large public university in the United States. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and iterative qualitative coding (e.g., thematic analysis). Analysis revealed a large majority of participants (74%) elected not to use ChatGPT in their language learning. The article subsequently explores the factors that influenced this non-use, namely policies; concerns about ethics both inside and outside the language classroom (e.g., concerns about cheating, intellectual theft, and questions of fairness); beliefs about tool limitations; considerations of the potential negative impacts on language learning; and reflections on education more broadly. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to the role of digital literacies in language education; the production of knowledge in education; and the meaning of language study, including actionable items in the language classroom.

ESL learners' perceptions of using High-Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) through YouGlish to improve pronunciation skills

This study explores ESL learners' perceptions of using high-variability phonetic training (HVPT) through YouGlish to improve pronunciation skills. Data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 70 upper-intermediate level ESL learners and semi-structured interviews with 20 learners. The collected data were analyzed statistically and thematically. The results revealed that the majority of learners had significantly positive attitudes towards using this online tool. They reported that YouGlish assisted them in accurately learning how to pronounce words and phrases from a variety of accents, including Australian, British, and American. Additionally, while learners had positive perceptions of using HVPT and YouGlish for pronunciation improvement, they emphasized the critical role of teachers in providing explicit corrective feedback and additional clarifications. Furthermore, the participants also reported some drawbacks of YouGlish. This study offers both theoretical and pedagogical implications for language learning and teaching.

Exploring the Motivation of National Common Language Learning among Ethnic Minority College Students in Inner Mongolia

As the importance of the national lingua franca in social communication is increasingly highlighted, this study aims to explore the learning motivation of minority university students in Inner Mongolia regarding the national lingua franca, with the purpose of understanding and analyzing the factors that contribute to students’ learning motivation in a specific linguistic environment. This paper selects minority students in Inner Mongolia universities as the research subjects and collects data through questionnaire surveys and interviews. Combining quantitative and qualitative analysis methods, it reveals the multidimensional differences in learning motivation in terms of gender, grade, and major background. Empirical research results indicate that students’ learning motivation is jointly influenced by social environment, cultural identity, and career planning. Positive factors provide motivation for learning engagement, while negative factors hinder the improvement of learning outcomes to a certain extent. The conclusions of this study have certain practical value in providing targeted language teaching strategies for higher education institutions and also play a positive role in promoting language integration and cultural exchange among minority university students.

Voices and Perspectives from Our Online Press on the State of English Language Teaching in Mexico

This documentary research on the discourse in electronic media surrounding the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language on the Mexico’s border describes the social framework and analyses various linguistic contexts to make provisional recommendations regarding foreign language policy in Mexico. The digital journalism selected issues an opinion on (1) the teaching of English as a language additional to Spanish in Mexico (English Language Teaching, ELT), and (2) Mexico’s position (at Federal and State level) implicit in their regional implementation of ELT. Thirteen articles from 12 regional, national, and international media sources were analysed using Guespin and Marcellesi’s (1986) and Arnoux and Bein’s (2015) theories, alongside Bardin’s (1996) content analysis method for linguistic contexts in border regions. Qualitative analysis techniques were employed to identify and categorize the positions on foreign language policy presented in the Mexican media. The authors conclude with recommendations for ELT policy, proposing actions for foreign language policy planning. We argue for raised teacher-training standards to improve foreign language learning in mainstream education and Private language schools, thus positioning the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California to take more agency in our regional support role to the Mexican Secretariate of Education

The Use of Mind Mapping Technique in Acquisition of Grammar Structures in Foreign Language Teaching

Purpose: As in other languages, Turkish also consists of words formed by the combination of sounds and sounds and meaningful integrity formed by the combination of words in a ruleful way. Therefore, it needs some rules for both the formation of sounds, the formation of words and the formation of sentences, which constitutes grammar. In order to learn a foreign language fully and properly, it is necessary to master the rules of grammar. Methods and techniques designed for learning something in the best and shortest time are important and necessary for teaching grammar in foreign language teaching. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of mind mapping technique, which is a different and new technique, in teaching grammar structures in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. Design/Methodology/Approach: In the study, mind mapping diagrams were used to teach grammar structures in teaching Turkish as a foreign language. According to this diagram, language consists of three components: form, function and use. For this reason, all grammar structures to be explained in the lesson were organized according to these three components and diagrams were prepared. Grammar structures were taught through the diagrams whose instructor opinions were taken. “Interview technique”, one of the qualitative data collection tools, was used in the study. For this, a semi-structured interview form was used. At Sakarya University TÖMER, a total of 22 learners at the A2 level were taught with the mind mapping technique for 7 weeks, and then the learners were interviewed one by one with a semi-structured interview form. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The data obtained through content analysis were divided into themes and sub-themes. Findings: When the mind mapping technique in teaching grammar structures in teaching Turkish as a foreign language was analyzed according to learner opinions, 5 themes and 23 sub-themes were identified. Highlights: According to the opinions of the learners, positive results such as the mind mapping technique being effective in grammar teaching, being useful, having a structure that offers ease of teaching as well as contributing to recall and developing a positive attitude towards the lesson were determined.

Foundations and Frameworks of ELT and Applied Linguistics Research: Principles, Processes and Practices

This article offers a comprehensive analysis of the core principles, processes, and practices that characterize research in English Language Teaching (ELT) and Applied Linguistics. The article highlights the key distinctions between scholarship, aimed at personal knowledge acquisition, and research, which generates socially useful knowledge. Research in applied linguistics is problem-oriented, focused on addressing practical language-related challenges such as language acquisition, teaching methodologies, and multilingual communication. The paper emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of applied linguistics, integrating insights from fields like psychology, sociology, and computer science to provide comprehensive solutions. Methodological diversity is a hallmark of this research, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including case studies, surveys, and experimental studies. The research cycle, from identifying a problem to collecting and analyzing data, is systematically outlined. Key areas of ELT research-such as second language acquisition, curriculum development, and language assessment-are discussed, underscoring the field's contributions to both theory and practice. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of applying research findings to improve language education, develop policies, and enhance communication across diverse linguistic contexts Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 11, Issue-4: 126-135.

Aesthetics and Creativity: A Preliminary Exploration of Modern Poetry Teaching in Primary School Chinese——Taking Ai Qing’s Teaching of “Green” as an Example

Among all literary works, the language of poetry is the most concise, unique, and timeless, and its expression of emotions is particularly rich. Learning poetry can enhance one’s ability to appreciate various literary works. The way to enhance the aesthetic understanding of poetry itself is closely related to quality education in Chinese language teaching. Undoubtedly, it is particularly important for classroom teaching to guide students in creating poetic scenarios, inspiring them to explore the artistic conception of poetry, and guiding them to appreciate the unique expression of poetry. Teaching students the general method of self-reading and self-understanding modern poetry can be seen as a way to make poetry teaching twice the result with half the effort. Based on this, this article takes Ai Qing’s “Green” as an example to explore the teaching path of modern poetry in primary school Chinese for reference.

Using ChatGPT in planning English language classes

The digital transformation is a global trend in modernizing educational systems. Implementing digital technologies in Russian educational institutions has been legally established and has become an everyday practice for teachers and students. The transition to new forms of learning, including interaction with artificial intelligence (AI) in combination with other technological solutions, contributes to solving applied problems, such as optimizing teacher’s working time. This article explores the possibilities of using AI (in particular, ChatGPT) as a tool for English lesson planning and instructional design.The article provides an overview of the capabilities, basic principles of interaction, and prospects for using ChatGPT in the educational process. The main part of the article consists of examples of ChatGPT responses to requests from a user — an English language teacher. As a result of interaction with ChatGPT, we were able to create a lesson plan as well as exercises for the development of lexical skills, for monitoring text understanding, for developing speaking skills and listening skills. The article demonstrates that the use of ChatGPT in English language lesson planning opens new perspectives for effective individualized learning and expands the possibilities for creating attractive and relevant educational content to meet diverse needs of students.

Reflecting on Different Aspects of Classroom Teaching: Mirrors on the Road of Educators' Self-Professional Development

Nowadays, the topic of teacher professional development (TPD), has attracted a great deal of attention. Professional development aims to help teachers become aware of and learn the different skills and strategies they need to cope with different teaching contexts and situations as well as learners with different needs, interests, and backgrounds. Undoubtedly, reflection can be viewed as a pivotal tool on the road to teachers’ continuous professional development. Reflection is not but a mirror that reflects educators’ practices, shedding light on the positive as well as the negative aspects of the lesson to make informed decisions to address these issues or any other emerging challenges. After combing the literature, the researcher identified some areas where there is much still to be revealed. Therefore, the current study aims to reveal educators’ awareness of reflection and if they are involved in any type of reflection as a means of self-development. The study aims to investigate the different ways (if any) in which in-service language teachers engage with any form of reflection. Finally, the study aims to present teachers’ views on whether pursuing reflection has any positive impact on teachers' teaching, personality, and practices. Qualitative research was adopted as the method where the aim is to paint a clear picture of participants, their views as well as their practices. Therefore, interviews were implemented and they could successfully result in rich type of data. The data showed that participants resorted to reflecting on the different aspects of their classes. Implications for teachers and stakeholders were made clear whereas suggestions for future research were provided.

Examining generative AI–mediated informal digital learning of English practices with social cognitive theory: a mixed-methods study

Abstract This study explores the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in informal digital learning of English (IDLE) practices, focusing on its potential to enhance language learning outcomes and addressing the technological challenges language teachers face in utilising AI-based tools to facilitate second language acquisition. Based on the research context of IDLE and holistic learning ecology and drawing on the theoretical frameworks of technological pedagogical and content knowledge and social cognitive theory, we performed a mixed-methods investigation with an empirical experiment to assess the effectiveness of GenAI followed by semi-structured interviews. The results suggest that the GenAI-mediated IDLE practices effectively improve college students’ oral proficiency in English from both technological and humanistic perspectives. However, results also indicate that the GenAI conversational partner alone is not adequate to provoke continuous extramural GenAI-mediated IDLE practices. We discuss the theoretical and pragmatic significance of GenAI-mediated IDLE in educational equity and reformation.

Error Analysis on the Written English of Students in Grade 8 at Orr's Hill Vivekananda College, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

This study attempts to identify and analyze “The errors in the written sentences produced by the students in grade 8 of Orr’s Hill Vivekananda School, Trincomalee”. The study begins with a systematic review of the concepts and theories concerning Error Analysis, which sets the platform for the theoretical base. Subsequently, the Error Analysis focuses on finding the syntactical errors under the selected grammatical categories while searching for the possible reasons causing errors. Eventually, the researcher suggests some of the complications involved in language learning and language teaching process. Understanding grammatical rules and applying them in sentences without making mistakes is what the teachers expect from the students in the school. However, it does not happen in the way it is expected. In other words, making grammatical errors can be assumed to be part and parcel of the language learning process. There are many linguistic aspects governing this learning process. Therefore, this research examines the type of errors the students make and why they make such errors in their writing. This dissertation is an eye-opener for teachers, with as they should understand the root causes of errors while attempting to find treatment for them. It is paramount that with teachers approach error corrections based on the student’s linguistic competence and their affective factors embedded with different socio-ethnic backgrounds. This error analysis has been undertaken with to with raise awareness among the teaching staff and help students produce better writing with fewer or no grammatical mistakes.