National English Research Articles

English textbook for maritime engineers: needs and requirnments

The article under consideration present some review of the present days textbooks created by Ukrainian specialists for teaching English in Maritime higher educational establishments. The authors attempt to analyze the existing manuals keeping in mind the needs of the future maritime engineers and the requirements of the International Maritime Organization, teaching methods are also meant. It is stressed in the article that the approach to teaching maritime engineers differ a lot from that of teaching other maritime specialists because besides general English communicative skills and maritime English they are supposed to be aware of technical terminology quite well. We make a quick review of the problems the teacher faces when working with the engineer students. The enumeration of the topics are supposed to be tackled upon in English classes is done. We touch upon the absence of one National English Standard for engine room department personal and discuss the problems it arises. It is underlined the achievements of Ukrainian Maritime English specialists are significant: the number of the textbooks and other teaching means in the field are getting larger every year what is more important their quality is getting higher as well. We have chosen these two series of textbooks for our review as they demonstrate complex approach to teaching the language and if accompanied with some extra tasks and listening and video activities they are the best one to use as basic for maritime engineers. Among the most authorized and widely used textbooks are the series of works by O. Bogomolov: there are 3 textbooks worked out for different levels. Some other series of textbooks we would like to mention are works of teachers who work in Kherson Maritime State Academy. Other series of textbooks under review are created by the group of the authors headed by V. Kudryavtseva. As it has been underlined in the preface to these textbooks, the purpose of the manuals is the development of professional communication skills of maritime engineers.

Investigating Middle School English Teachers’ Use of Conversational Texts in M-C Written Tests

This study investigates how middle school English teachers use conversational texts in multiple-choice written tests. For that aim the study analyzed 45 middle school English tests collected from 15 schools in a metropolitan city. The focus of analysis was on the test items’ content-dependency, the kinds of knowledge measured and the kinds of tasks required by them. For additional information the study also conducted a questionnaire survey with 84 middle school teachers, focusing on the teachers’ perceptions and practices as test constructors. In addition, the study also compared the use of conversational texts in school tests and in authorized tests (i.e., the National English Achievement Test, TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS) in the hope to obtain information about what to do to improve the quality of school tests. According to the result, quite a few test items made with conversational texts showed weaknesses in the focused areas. Based on the result, the study argues that to ensure the quality of middle school English tests with more valid test items, an item construction model as well as a more appropriate teacher training with opportunities for enough practice for item construction must be available.

2015 개정 교육과정을 바탕으로 한 진로-영어 통합 수업의 실제

2015 개정 교육과정을 바탕으로 한 진로-영어 통합 수업의 실제

A Study on the Effectiveness of English Grammar Teaching and Learning in Chinese Junior Middle Schools

The article conducts a questionnaire survey and interview on the students and teachers in three different junior middle schools in Zhejiang Province of China. The results indicate that the effectiveness in English grammar teaching and learning is not satisfactory. And the grammatical competence is not correlated with the goals and objectives of the National English Curriculum. There is significant demand for teachers to encourage students to improve the efficiency and accuracy of English grammar. The outcome is useful for foreign language researchers to know better about current situation of grammar teaching and learning in Chinese junior middle schools. Some suggestions are presented to enhance the effectiveness of English grammar teaching and learning.

Time for Reform? a comparison of Canadian and English Preference Laws

Sia Vatanchi compares and contrasts the national English and Canadian preference provisions in relation to bankruptcy and insolvency process – suggesting that although both nations are common law countries and share a similar history, the currently state of preference law in London is less effective and sensible than Ottawa’s. The author explains that an emphasis on the subjective motivation of the debtor has proven to be a challenging task for the office-holder to demonstrate, particularly when combined with the defence of commercial pressure. These features have helped to manufacture a regime whereby the pari passu principle underlying preference law is not realised as best possible. Until Parliament institutes reforms aimed at developing a more objective and effects focused system, which requires a greater embracement of the equal-sharing model, English preference law will remain outdated and ineffective.

Can Thai Students Survive without English Teachers? a Case Study of Primary School Students in Thailand

Particular interests in English language teaching practices have been given much attention recently. This study attempts to examine whether trained English majors can help teach English to students in a primary school where there is short of English teachers. Two English instructors, twenty English majors and ninety-four students participated in the study. Theoretical and practical training sessions were organized for twenty English majors before they start teaching the students. English lesson plans were designed relative to four major content areas found in the standardized national English test include vocabulary, reading, conversation, and public signs were used as a guideline for both training and teaching sessions. Pre and post-tests were administered to primary school students before and after the teaching intervention accordingly. Data collected through participant observations were also used to support data collected from the interviews and tests. Results show that our trained English majors could help improve the students’ English language proficiency in spite the unavailability of qualified English teachers at their school. Findings offer some insights on possible alternatives to teaching English to primary school students who face similar problems.

An Analysis of Indonesia’s 2013 EFL Curriculum and Turkey’s National English Language Curriculum for Secondary Schools

Indonesia and Turkey have experienced educational reforms for decades, for instance in constructing EFL curriculum. Educational reforms could be done to address a certain problem encountered by a nation and to better the quality of education. Therefore, there emerged a need to analyse the EFL curricula designed for secondary schools in both countries to identify the commonalities and differences considered for a better improvement in education quality. Thus, the present study was aimed at analysing Indonesia’s 2013 EFL Curriculum and Turkey’s National English language Curriculum for secondary schools: the rationale, aims and organization (instructional design, instructional materials, and assessment). The study employed a qualitative descriptive design using document analysis to analyse some curricula documents. The findings revealed the commonalities lie in learner-centeredness view and the main goal of EFL curriculum. However, the differences lie in the instructional design, materials, and assessment. Given that Indonesia may adopt technology-enhanced assessment for a better assessment. It is suggested for further studies to employ interviews and surveys with teachers and students to gain more data.

Guy Butler and NELM’s Literary Project: A Contested History

This article seeks to investigate the relationship between the National English Literary Museum (NELM) and the perceived legacy of its founding personality, Guy Butler. In so doing, the article unpacks the varied historic and contemporary responses to the institutional and cultural work of Guy Butler, while casting Butler as an archival ‘patriarch’, using Derrida’s Archive Fever ([1995] 1996. Chicago: University of Chicago Press) as a theoretical framework. The article explores the conceptual reach of the term ‘archive’ according to contemporary South African academic archive studies, and posits that under this academic perspective the work of NELM and the legacy of Butler might be considered ‘archival’. The article concludes that Butler’s work on behalf of the institution of literary academia and historiography in the latter half of the twentieth century might be connected to the nineteenth century colonial roots of many of South Africa’s knowledge institutions, and that conceptually, the archive, the library, and the museum, are imbricated in a South African geography of coloniality. The article closes with a consideration of NELM’s contemporary moment, given the fraught relationship that South Africa is presently experiencing with its own heritage institutions.

Los procesos de socialización de docentes de inglés del Programa Nacional de Inglés para educación básica en las primarias públicas de Baja California

El presente estudio busca conocer los procesos de socialización del personal docente que labora en el Programa Nacional de Inglés a nivel primaria y preescolar en Ensenada Baja California, México, para identificar, por un lado, la construcción de la identidad docente desde un enfoque socio pedagógico y; por otro, dar cuenta del contexto en el cual se encuentra inmerso para así contribuir al diálogo en apoyo a acciones que mejoren su entorno. Nuestro propósito no es solo generalizar sobre la construcción de identidades, sino también profundizar sobre el proceso que experimentan docentes que trabajan en el programa. Para enmarcar esta información se realizó un estudio cualitativo con orientación a estudio de caso. Los datos fueron recolectados a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas a un grupo de sujetos clave utilizando el método de análisis por categorías para organizar y concretar los resultados. La intervención circunscribe dos tipos de docentes; aquel grupo que cuenta con una formación pedagógica base, producto de su paso por programas formales de instrucción a nivel de universidad y, otros grupos que obtuvieron su trabajo como docentes por el manejo del inglés o su pertenencia al sistema educativo. También es significativa la manifestación de una falta de inducción al programa para su ingreso al contexto escolar, la precariedad de las condiciones laborales, la falta de apoyo para la capacitación pedagógica y el poco reconocimiento de la imagen del personal docente de lenguas por la sociedad.

English in Public Schools Located in Metropolitan Lima, Peru: An Analysis of Eleventh-Grade Students’ Level and Perceptions

English Language Teaching (ELT) public policies are present in most of the countries of the Americas due to the importance of said language in the international context. The objective of this research was to know the English level of eleventh-grade students in public schools located in Metropolitan Lima, Peru, as well as their perceptions of their own English learning process within the framework of the new national plan called Inglés, Puertas al Mundo (English, Doors to the World). The sample was composed of 72 students from four schools of the city. This study was conducted using a mixed-method (quantitative-qualitative) approach. The instruments used were a standardized English test (New Inside Out Quick Placement Test) and a structured interview guide. The results revealed that the students’ English level is below the level outlined in the national policy. Regarding the perception of their own learning, students have different motivations to learn English, and enjoy the blended model introduced by the national English plan. However, they agree that their English level is very basic and that they would not be able to reach the established communication objectives after graduating from high school.

The association between long-term conditions and uptake of population-based screening for colorectal cancer: results from two English cohort studies.

IntroductionUptake of screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) can reduce mortality, and population-based screening is offered in England. To date, there is little evidence on the association between having a long-term condition (LTC) and CRC screening uptake. The objective of this study was to examine the association between having an LTC and uptake of CRC screening in England with the guaiac fecal occult blood test, with a particular focus on common mental disorders.MethodsThe study was a preregistered secondary analysis of two cohorts: first, a linked data set between the regional Yorkshire Health Study (YHS) and the National Health Service National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (BCSP, years 2006–2014); second, the national English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA, years 2014–2015). Individuals eligible for BCSP screening who participated in either the YHS (7,142) or ELSA Wave 7 (4,099) were included. Study registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02503969.ResultsIn both the cohorts, diabetes was associated with lower uptake (YHS odds ratio [OR] for non-uptake 1.35, 95% CI 1.03–1.78; ELSA 1.33, 1.03–1.72) and osteoarthritis was associated with increased uptake (YHS 0.75, 0.57–0.99; ELSA 0.76, 0.62–0.93). After controlling for broader determinants of health, there was no evidence of significantly different uptake for individuals with common mental disorders.ConclusionTwo large independent cohorts provided evidence that uptake of CRC screening is lower among individuals with diabetes and higher among individuals with osteoarthritis. Further work should compare barriers and facilitators to screening among individuals with either of these conditions. This study also demonstrates the benefits of data linkage for improving clinical decision-making.

The Effect of EFL Teachers’ Training in Rural West China: Evidence From Phonics-oriented Program

China has launched a nation-wide project of learning English as a “core” subject starting from the third grade in primary schools after the Ministry of Education (MOE) issued National English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education at the beginning of this century. However, EFL teachers are far from sufficient in rural schools, and thus students are in a more disadvantageous position compared to their peers in the urban area. To meet this need, many Zhuangang teachers are employed after being trained. This study examined a phonics-oriented training program in which scholars and practitioners cooperated to train EFL teachers and prospective trainers in rural west China. The current study collected data about EFL teachers’ perceptions on the effect of this program and student achievement. The results showed that the training program was quite effective with EFL teachers regarding the program as helpful and students obtaining significantly better scores. These findings indicate that phonics-oriented professional support system is a good way to make teacher development sustainable in the long run.

An Analysis of English Textbooks Used in Vocational High Schools: based on the National English Curriculum

An Analysis of English Textbooks Used in Vocational High Schools: based on the National English Curriculum

News Media Coverage on Human Rights Issues: Comparative Analysis of the Times of India and the Hindu

The media is a powerful tool to reform the society as it creates consciousness among the people regarding their rights and responsibilities. In a democratic country, media is essentially reckoned as an ombudsman, protector and agenda setter. In other words, media can ensure that the voices of the marginalised sections of the society be heard by governments. Although news media organisations can cover limited number of issues related to human rights violations due to the organisational limitations and pre-determined ideological tone of their respective organisations, the crucial role played by them in creating consciousness among people cannot be underestimated. As soon as print media give priority to news items related to human rights, it gets fomented and becomes the issue of public interest. Keeping in mind the importance of the media agenda, it has been attempted in the present study to investigate, understand and describe the content of various issues relevant to human rights in two mainstream National English dailies–The Hindu and The Times of India. Further, the study explores the existing frames in the news discourse through framing analysis technique. It is found that newspapers under study given more emphasis on negative aspects of human rights related issues. However, there has been a slight difference in tone of reporting between two newspapers under study while covering news related to human rights violations.

An Analysis of Writing Activities in the 3rd and 4th Grade English Textbooks Based on 2015 National English Curriculum

An Analysis of Writing Activities in the 3rd and 4th Grade English Textbooks Based on 2015 National English Curriculum

South African Literary Archives after the ‘Archival Turn’: a Case Study of the Guy Butler collection at the National English Literary Museum

This article seeks to investigate the largest collection of literary artefacts in South Africa, housed at the National English Literary Museum, and particularly the relationship between the founder of the museum and archive, Guy Butler, and how NELM has come to operate in the South African literary landscape in a post-colonial and post-apartheid moment. It is necessary to invoke the post-colonial moment from the outset in order to explore the question of post-colonial archives from a critical perspective.This research is informed by what has come to be known as the ‘archival turn,’ which considers the ‘meta-text’ of archival formation. The work investigates the locations of power and regularities of logic that have informed the collection of certain items and histories, and the neglect of others.

중학교 영어 교과서의 의사소통 기능에 대한 코퍼스 기반 분석: 듣기와 말하기를 중심으로

The present study examines the features of communicative functions in middle school English textbooks, identifying whether or not they are presented based on the spiral structure. It also compares the communicative functions of 15 different middle school English textbooks and investigates whether the National English Listening Tests (NELTs) reflect the communicative functions presented in the textbooks. Two corpora were compiled using the 15 middle school English textbooks and the NELTs, and they were analyzed using WordSmith Tools. The results show that all the textbooks included communicative functions that the National Curriculum recommends; however, the textbooks presented a limited number of functions. Nonetheless, the communicative functions were presented relatively in a spiral way. The majority number of communicative functions in the textbooks and the NELTs were similar to each other, but there were some functions in the tests that were not covered in the textbooks. These results imply that more diverse communicative functions should be included in textbooks in order to help improve students’ communicative competence. The communicative functions not presented in the textbooks should not be included in the NELTs.

Analysis of changes in the 2015 Revised National English Curriculum

Analysis of changes in the 2015 Revised National English Curriculum

CLASS TRACKS AND EDUCATION OUTCOMES: EVIDENCE FROM A CHINESE UNIVERSITY

This article investigates the effect of being assigned to different class tracks on education outcomes in higher education. We use administrative data from a Chinese university where students are assigned to two tracks of English education. Students in the high achieving track enjoy exposure to better peers, but receive less instruction time before taking a national English test. A regression discontinuity design establishes evidence that being assigned to the high achieving track has a negligible effect. Our analysis shows that the null impact is due to the offsetting effects of instruction time and peers. (JEL I21, I23)

An Analysis of <The National English Readers> in the Formation Stage of the Contemporary Education System (1946~54): Focusing on Vocabulary Items, Readability Levels, Grammar, and Contents.

This study analyzes English textbooks that were in circulation in the formation stage of the contemporary education system (from 1946 to 1954 when the First National Curriculum was founded in South Korea). The textbooks analyzed in this study are The National English Readers, written by Gim Sheon Gi. They comprise three books for the junior high level and three books for high school students. This study investigates the relevance of new vocabulary words, the readability levels of the text measured by Fry`s readability formula, and the grammar and content of each chapter across all six books. Analysis revealed the following: first, the number of new vocabulary words, and the readability levels of the books did not increase systematically across subsequent book levels; second, in textbooks Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, elements of grammar were not introduced systematically based on constructed grammar rules but were instead introduced alongside the readings to which they were applied; and third, the genres of written content in textbooks Ⅳ, Ⅴ, and Ⅵ for high school students were significantly different from each other― textbook Ⅳ contained mainly descriptions, textbook Ⅴ contained mainly stories, and textbook Ⅵ contained mainly essays and poems. Several educational implications are presented at the end of this paper.