Professional English Teaching Research Articles

An extensive evaluation study of the English preparatory curriculum of a foreign language school

The study aimed to evaluate the English preparation curriculum at Aydın Adnan Menderes University School of Foreign Languages according to the Bellon and Handler model. The study was designed as a “case study”, which aimed to obtain qualitative and quantitative data from the selected case. 310 English preparation class students, 26 English lecturers, 26 lecturers of other departments and 24 students of other departments participated in the study. The data were gathered through a scale, questionnaire, interviews, class observations and document analysis. The study was conducted according to the four steps of the “Bellon and Handler Model”. Findings were presented according to the status descriptions, analysis activities and curriculum improvement components of the four steps. In conclusion, it was found that there were no philosophy or goals of the English preparatory curriculum. Though the students had positive motivation towards learning English, they could not reach the desired level. Moreover, the inefficacy of teaching of the skills courses was emphasized by all participants. This problem was thought result from lack of practice. There were some communication problems between the administration and other participants. Physical facilities should be improved. Professional English teaching should be included in the preparatory school curriculum. Furthermore, the involvement of some stakeholders in the decision-making process should be enabled.

Digital literacy scale of English pre-service teachers and their perceived readiness toward the application of digital technologies

High digital literacy is significantly needed by English teachers in the trend of industrial revolution 4.0 to promote a better quality of English teaching and learning. However, a significant number of English teachers, as well as pre-service teachers, still had low digital literacy scale and they were not ready to implement digital technologies into English teaching and learning process. This study was aimed to describe the digital literacy scale of graduate school students of English Education Department in a state university in Yogyakarta as pre-service teachers and their readiness toward the application of digital technologies in teaching and learning contexts. The research used mix-methods to collect both quantitative and qualitative data through Likert-scale questionnaires and interviews. The study revealed that the research participants had high digital literacy scales and readiness toward the application of digital technologies. Thus, those graduate school students as pre-service teachers could fulfill the requirements of professional English teachers in terms of digital literacy and improve the quality of English teaching and learning output by integrating digital technologies.

Challenges and Solutions of Computer Professional English Teaching

For computer science students in China, learning English is very important. Whether new technology or a new product published, the usual version is in English. However, most textbooks in China are mainly in Chinese. Then the students meet difficulties in reading, understanding and expressing by the formal correct way. This paper will introduce how to carry out this course with the idea students are the center of teaching and output based learning under the background of a computer major. It will elaborate from the aspects of challenges in teaching, course objectives, course content, course assessment and feedback, so as to enable students willing to participate in the classroom.

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: TEACHERS' VOICES

Being professional English teachers requires knowledge and competences that should be continuously nurtured to sustain their expertise, and one of the programs in Indonesia is the so-called Continuous Professional Development as officially declared by the Indonesian government in 2012. Certified teachers generally undergo either short- or long-term training experiences to update their teaching knowledge and skills. However, little empirical evidence has been conducted to examine the sustainability of such training practices on the teachers' professionalism. Henceforth, this study is aimed at investigating how such English teacher professional development training practices have been carried out and what teachers expect from such training. To that end, a survey is conducted involving a number of teachers drawn randomly from different six provinces. i.e. East Java, West Java, Lampung, East Borneo, South Sumatra, and East Papua throughout Indonesia. Descriptive statistical analyses are exerted to analyze the data collected. The findings suggest that a more down-to-earth reflective training as continuous professional development is in compelling need.

EKSPLORASI PENGALAMAN MAHASISWA BAHASA INGGRIS SELAMA PROGRAM PPL: HARAPAN, TANTANGAN, DAN PELAJARAN

This study aims to find out how these students teachers define the concept of'professional teacher' before PPL, what are their expectations before attending the PPL, whatobstacles they encounter during the PPL, and what lessons they get during the PPL program.This qualitative study involved ten students of English Language Education as participants.They were selected through purposeful random sampling technique. Data were collectedthrough semi-structured interviews, a focused group discussion, and document analysis. Thecollected data is analyzed inductively with the help of the NVivo application. The results of thestudy showed that participants had an initial concept of professional English teachers beforethey embarked on their PPL program. Their concepts are in line with the professional teacherframework as stated in Law No. 14/2005 concerning teachers and lecturers. At the same time,all participants had high expectations for the PPL program in relation to their desire to becomeprofessional teachers. Participants also reported some of the obstacles or challenges they faced during the PPL, such as the difficulty of undergoing the teaching process and feeling too muchburden from non-teaching activities during PPL. However, at the end of the PPL, all of themclaimed to be quite satisfied with the process they had gone through. They claim to have learneda lot from PPL, among them, they have increasingly understood the complexity of the tasks andresponsibilities of a teacher.

Teaching the Millennials: Implications on Today's Classrooms

English teaching professionals dealing with students from all levels of education are reported to have faced challenges in meeting their students’ needs. Born into the world of information, the Millennials are comprised of digital learners who are comfortable using technology in their everyday life. Students’ predilection for technology is calling the educators to align their teaching strategies with students’ learning preference. This paper therefore looks at the challenges educators face in teaching the Millennials as well as the strategies adopted in meeting the needs of this new generation. The survey which involved a department of language lecturers provides further insights into the discourse of teaching and learning in higher learning institutions.

A Review of the Research on the Development of Business English Teachers

<p>Cultivating first-class business English talents needs first-class English teachers. Professional English teachers should not only have solid business English knowledge reserve, but also have excellent English teaching ability, which are the key to cultivate business English talents. Therefore, the construction of business English teachers and the promotion of the professionalization of business English teachers are the main factors for the rapid growth of business English talents. This paper aims to improve the professional level of business English teachers, to build the overall quality, improve the professional ability and explore the career path development of business English teachers.</p>

Applied Participatory Learning for Teaching Professional English to Students Majoring in Nuclear Disciplines in China

Introduction. This article deals with design and development of participatory learning. Three different perspectives: literature review, students’ feedback and teachers’ feedback were analyzed. The relevance of this study is determined by the apparent improvement of students’ proficiency of English, deeper knowledge about their profession and higher self-confidence in and after classes. The purpose of this article is to use participatory learning methods to build a new and more effective educational process for professional English teaching. Materials and Methods. Our research implemented the principle of participatory learning to improve the students’ communicative ability of English. Visual aids were applied to enrich teaching methods and open classroom setting was adopted to upgrade the learning atmosphere. Group learning mode was to cultivate students’ ability of communication and cooperation. Theme-based teaching setting was carried out to encourage students’ self-study ability, knowledge summary ability and creativity. Questionnaires, interview and peer observation were used. The objectives of the experiment were 50 third-year students majoring in radiation protection and nuclear safety at Chengdu University o f Technology. Results. Survey results reflect different aspects of students’ perception of the new settings, encountered difficulties in learning and new challenges for teachers. The positive feedbacks to the experiment were received from peer teachers. It is found that students of PLA group were more active, better performed in courses, and had an average increase of 8.18 points (total 100 points) in exams. Discussion and Conclusion. Our results and discussions lie in the smart connection between nuclear studies and English learning, and are based on varied qualitative research methods to verify the effectiveness of participatory learning. Through the analysis of the results, it can be seen that participatory learning has changed the traditional teaching mode to a certain extent and the nuclear major students were more effectively engaged in the professional English classes. It is, therefore, recommended to apply the research results to engineering related ESP practices at universities and colleges in China or in other culture.

Research on Professional English Teaching Model for Electrical Engineering

Research on Professional English Teaching Model for Electrical Engineering

TEACHERS� CREATIVITY IN DESIGNING LEARNING ACTIVITIES: SUSTAINING STUDENTS� MOTIVATION

Sustaining students� motivation during teaching and learning process, unquestionably, is considered as the most challenging task. Therefore, the teachers have to be mindful and creative in designing an activity as it is the core of the lesson. However, in practice, some teachers are sometimes found to aimlessly use an activity as they run out of idea. Thus, this study is conducted to serve as a reference for the teachers in designing a specific activity that helps the students stay motivated. A descriptive qualitative was employed as the research design to gain deeper analysis on types of activity that encourage the students to learn English. The data were collected through interview which involved 5 professional English teachers as participants. The result revealed that the design of the activity should be appealing and correspond to the students� interest, age, level of proficiency, school policy, materials and media availability. Thus, it is suggested that the teachers should be brave to try out new activity and attend some teachers� training, such as CELTA or DELTA, to improve their teaching skills.

Reflections on the Reform of Public English Teaching in Higher Vocational Education Under the "Belt and Road"

In the context of the Belt and Road, a detailed analysis of the present situation of public English teaching is made from the following four aspects: the object of teaching, students 'learning status, curriculum setting and teaching mode, the teaching staff and student employment orientation in this paper. It is found that the teaching content, teaching method and teaching mode in our school are obsolete. Under the new background, this paper puts forward the introduction of professional English into public English teaching in higher vocational colleges, and promotes the combination of basic English teaching and professional English teaching. In this way we can really cultivate high-quality professional talents who meet the needs of the society and have a good ability, and lay a good foundation for future employment.

An Empirical Study on the Influencing Factors of the Quality of Professional English Teaching in Colleges and Universities

Through an investigation on five hundred undergraduate students in ordinary and key universities, the influencing factors of the professional English teaching quality can be reduced to five dimensions: students’ awareness to the importance of professional English, teachers’ conscientiousness on teaching, innovative degree of teaching method, classroom activity, textbook and evaluation. Results show that students’ awareness is the key factor influencing teaching quality, and it has significant effect on teachers’ conscientiousness. The influences of textbook and evaluation of teaching quality is obvious, and so does teachers’ conscientiousness to classroom activity, innovative degree of teaching method to classroom activity.

Cultivation Strategies of Professional English Ability of Cruise Service Program in Chinese Higher Vocational Schools

China's cruise industry has developed rapidly. The major international cruise companies have entered the Chinese market, and the number of cruise tourists has also increased. However, the speed of China's cruise talent training is lagging behind the speed of industry development, and the quality of talents does not meet the requirements of enterprises. This paper analyzes the professional ability of the work position in the service department on board, and proposes six countermeasures to improve the English ability of cruise service-oriented students in China's higher vocational colleges: implementing the ability-based teaching philosophy, clarifying the professional English teaching objectives, and carrying out the use of ESP classroom teaching method, designing teaching plans and contents based on industry standards, clarifying the evaluation standards of the students’ English language ability, and training the competent professional English teachers. For improving the English language ability of the students of the cruise service program, the paper concludes that the teachers need to establish a teaching philosophy based on competency, apply the ESP classroom teaching method, and to be trained with both English language teaching ability and cruise industry knowledge.

Exploration and Reflection on the Teaching Mode of Academic English for Postgraduates in the New Situation

The teaching of postgraduate specialized English has changed from the purely professional vocabulary learning or the imparting of professional technical knowledge to the application ability of academic English. In order to adapt to this change, based on the investigation and analysis of the current situation of professional English teaching and the study characteristics of the graduate students, this paper discusses the main problems existing and builds a more efficient professional English learning class. A series of reform and exploration ideas are put forward from the aspects of strengthening professional pertinence, giving full play to students' independent learning ability and carrying out cooperative teaching.

EFL TEACHERS’ NEED OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: WHEN POLICY AND PRACTICE COLLIDE

Align with the increasing demands of qualified and professional English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers the need of improving the capabilities of the EFL teachers, both pre-service and in-service teachers is unavoidable. In-service EFL teachers still have to update, upgrade and refresh their competences in ELT which include their pedagogical competence (teaching skill) and professional competence (subject matter) through professional development (PD). As one of the four competencies that a teacher should have, professional competence holds an important role in helping the students to learn English well. Therefore, it is obvious that EFL teachers’ PD is essential for the teachers to support their learning leading to their empowerment as professional English teachers. This qualitative study tried to see the phenomenon of the EFL teachers’ need for language proficiency professional development by using interview as the main data collection instrument to get the information. The participants of the study were EFL teachers who joined professional teacher training program (PLPG) at Universitas Negeri Surabaya (Unesa) in 2017. The findings showed that most of the participants were very confident with their English mastery. However, they stated that they needed regular and continues PD activities specifically for their language proficiency. The activities range from maintaining the four micro skills, provide scholarship for teachers to have short course program abroad to maximizing the function of subject teacher association (MGMP).

Investigating Self Professional Development in Teaching English: The Case of English College Teachers’ Role as Models

Self Professional Development is one of the key factors in Foreign Language Learning, and therefore strategies in developing English professional college teachers should be seen as an important aspect of improving English lecturers’ role as models. This study was done through a survey to 30 EFL college teachers of PGRI Teacher Training College and State Islamic Institute of Tulungagung, a small town in East Java, Indonesia, in order to underline the basis of making a decision on improving efforts for the sake of creating English Professional Development college teachers who are influential toward the success of English teaching and learning process. The instrument -a questionnaire including three open ended questions-was developed in accordance to reviewing some related research articles about professional developing. This study reveals the fact that to be a professional English college teachers, one should develop ten professional efforts namely perceived professional identity as model; career development needs, theoretical and content knowledge; practical knowledge and professional skills; professional networking; pedagogical content knowledge; perceived benefits of ICT use to students (perceived by the teacher); perceived benefits to the college teachers (self); engaging conducting research.

The praxis of digital literacy in the EFL classroom: Digital-immigrant vs digital-native teacher

Myriads of theories account for the primacy of digital literacy on ELT as the demand of the 21st century, yet studies on digital media literacy of distinct English teacher generations are thin on the ground. Thus, this descriptive qualitative study investigated the utilization of digital literacy in the EFL classroom of senior high school teachers from two generations (digital immigrant and digital native) and their students’ responses to the use of digital media in the English classroom in Indonesia. Three instruments were utilized including classroom observations, questionnaires, and interviews. Following ACOT’s (Apple Classroom of Tomorrow) framework, the findings show that both teachers were at the adaptation stage in terms of digital literacy and this was reflected on the utilization of digital media in assisting students’ learning. Yet, the digital-immigrant teacher appeared to be practically more adept in the implementation of digital media. As for the second issue, the students responded positively to the use of digital technology by the teachers to make English class more fun and comprehensible. However, when it comes to an ideal teacher, the students still considered good characters as the main criteria for an ideal teacher. Technology does support teachers in delivering the materials, but the way they behave and treat the students still also plays crucial part in maintaining a good relationship between teachers and students. The results show that the English teachers need to develop their digital literacy to keep up with the current demand to be professional English teachers in the digital era.

Student Teachers Difficulties in Teaching English to Hotel Staff

Professional English teachers often find it difficult when they have to teach English for Specific Purpose (ESP) as they need to do extra works like doing need analysis and creating the specific syllabus before teaching to make sure that the teaching-learning process will go smoothly. Student teachers, who have less experience in teaching, are likely to face greater difficulties in teaching ESP. The study aims at finding out student teachers difficulties in teaching English to hotel staff. Therefore, eight student teachers who recently taught English to hotel staff in their teaching practicum were asked to write about their experience in teaching in form of reflections. The study reveals that the eight student teachers who taught different hotel staff in four customer related divisions, front office, housekeeping, marketing, and food and beverage face similar difficulties. The difficulties are mostly related to the hotel staff. They are teaching facilities, time management, different levels of English proficiency, and low self-efficacy. It is expected that the finding can be useful for student teachers who will do their teaching practicum in hotels, also for those who are interested in studying ESP especially in teaching English to hotel staff.Professional English teachers often find it difficult when they have to teach English for Specific Purpose (ESP) as they need to do extra works like doing need analysis and creating the specific syllabus before teaching to make sure that the teaching learning process will go smoothly. Student teachers, who have less experience in teaching, are likely to face greater difficulties in teaching ESP. The study aims at finding out student teachers difficulties in teaching English to hotel staff. Therefore, eight student teachers who recently taught English to hotel staff in their teaching practicum were asked to write about their experience in teaching in form of reflections. The study reveals that the eight student teachers who taught different hotel staff in four customer related divisions, front office, housekeeping, marketing, and food and beverage face similar difficulties. The difficulties are mostly related to the hotel staff. They are teaching facilities, time management, different levels of English proficiency, and low self-efficacy. It is expected that the finding can be useful for student teachers who will do their teaching practicum in hotels, also for those who are interested in studying ESP especially in teaching English to hotel staff.

The Writing "Crisis": Vol. 41, No. 1, November 1978

The Writing "Crisis"Vol. 41, No. 1, November 1978 Leo Marx Perhaps I should admit, at the outset, that I am not a full-fledged member of the English-teaching profession. Although I have belonged to English departments during most of my academic life, I hold no degree in English. But in any case I would like to identify myself with certain of the current concerns of the profession. A few weeks ago, I was sitting on a committee interviewing candidates for the directorship of a university writing program. One candidate, himself the director of such a program, kept referring to "the crisis." Finally, one member of the committee, with some exasperation, asked, "By the way, what crisis are you talking about?" "Why, of course," the candidate responded, "the crisis in English composition." This "crisis," we all know, is a result of the recent discovery by people at Newsweek, Time, and The New York Times, that many young Americans, even after protracted exposure to the classroom teaching of English, are still unable to write the language. Not only are they unable to write, but their skill often declines during four years of higher learning at some of our most prestigious universities. We also know that this so-called crisis is a variant of another a few years back when the same publicists discovered that Johnny couldn't read. My sense is that the present crisis—which is a name for our difficulty in helping the young to think clearly and efficiently—is inseparable from other crises of recent years—the much larger socioeconomic and political crisis of our society. I don't mean to say that there isn't much yet to be done by way of improving instruction in writing and reading—what is now called "the basics"—but I also think there is no excuse for anyone in the profession adopting the Time/Newsweek talk about "the crisis" in English composition as if it might be a merely technical, professional problem susceptible to solutions by pedagogical experts. But how are we to relate the situation in English composition to the veritable cataclysm of crises this country went through in the era of Vietnam and Watergate? I want to consider the relationship between the low status of the profession nowadays and our tendency, as teachers, to deny or ignore larger social issues. When I speak of the profession's "low status," incidentally, I do not refer primarily to its economic but rather to its moral status as measured by the public respect it enjoys (or fails to enjoy) as compared [End Page 206] with other professions, and as compared with teachers of other academic subjects. That status, as you know, is not very high these days, and when it rises it usually does so for the wrong reasons. Like other groups which have suffered from public contempt or neglect, the English profession has reason to change the prevailing view of itself. One way to improve the status of the profession, I would suggest, is to bear down on the precise character of the relation between the degradation of language and the degradation of institutions, of people, in this society. Although it can be grossly misleading to speak of a "crisis" in English composition and literary studies, it is a fact that many intelligent Americans only now are becoming aware of the decline in language competency of the young. While that awareness doesn't necessarily constitute a crisis, it could provide an opening, a chance to educate the public about these matters, and at the same time, provide an opportunity to raise the moral status of the profession. This means—or so I shall be arguing—that we must address ourselves to issues of language education across the whole spectrum, from elementary education through college. We must open organizational as well as pedagogical or programmatic lines of communication with other teachers and professionals concerned with literature and language. And the reason for this, most simply stated, is that the English classroom is an arena of cultural politics. That what happens in the English classroom is closely bound up with the political health of the society is by no means a...

On (Not) Speaking English: Colonial Legacies in Language Requirements for British Citizenship

This article examines the colonial legacies shaping current language requirements for immigrants applying for settlement or citizenship in Britain. The article argues that common sense understandings of ‘national language’ and monolingualism/multilingualism were developed in the context of imperial expansion, the legacies of which resonate today in a disdain for multilingualism and other Englishes conceived as hampering cohesion. Put simply, other languages and other English are spoken here because English was there. Drawing on interviews with applicants and English teaching professionals, the article discusses how participants variously experience English language requirements. The analysis shows how the colonial legacies supporting the rise of English as a ‘world language’ cast it as the locus of a regime of audibility that establishes a hierarchy between ‘the English’ and the ‘anglicised’. In today’s Britain, the multilingualism of the other is not external and prior to Britain, but rather speaks volumes to and about contemporary Britain.