Secondary English Teachers Research Articles

““The last bastion of democracy”: teachers’ perceptions of the democratic potential of English curriculum”

Purpose Faced with increasing systemic constraints and pressures, secondary school English teachers often implement transactional approaches to pedagogy and curriculum aimed at improving student results on external exams, which are then used to rank schools. Despite the pressure to teach this way, teachers acknowledge the power of literature, literacy and language in the English curriculum as vehicles for educating students to be critical readers of texts for a democratic society. As such, the purpose of this paper is to share perspectives of secondary English teachers in relation to the democratic potential of their subject. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative case study method, this paper shares data from six Australian secondary school English teachers who work in culturally diverse schools. Teachers were interviewed about their perspectives regarding how the Australian English curriculum enabled and/or constrained the teaching of critical and creative thinking in support of a democratic society. Findings Using Marri’s model of multicultural democratic education, interview data were deductively analyzed to identify elements of the model, including critical pedagogies, disciplinary content and community building. Teachers were concerned that building critical literacy skills was minimized by the system and students’ personal dispositions. Originality/value The English teachers in this study held a strong belief that the subject of English could emancipate students, although they felt it might be “the last bastion” for a democratic education.

Research on the Implementation Path of English Curriculum Policy for Compulsory Education in the New Era

This paper aims to explore the implementation path of English curriculum policy for compulsory education, with primary and secondary English education in northwest China as a case study for an in-depth analysis. The paper first reviews the evolution of educational policies over the past decade. Starting from the definition, nature, and carriers of curriculum policy, this paper introduces the research output of domestic and foreign scholars on the implementation of English curriculum policy. This paper proposes three characteristics and five practical pathways to implement English curriculum policy in compulsory education. Based on the above analysis, the paper proposes future research orientations, including regional decision-making strategies, comprehensive methodological frameworks, the synergy between English curriculum policy and other educational policies, and the localization and practical orientation of curriculum policy.

The impact of training provisions on novice English language teachers in Hong Kong: A systematic review

AbstractThe early years of learning and the transition period are important for novice teachers. This systematic review investigated the influence that training provisions for novice primary and secondary English language teachers in Hong Kong have had on their initial workplace experience. From a large body of literature dated between 1980 and 2023, a final set of 20 articles that met our inclusion criteria was analysed using Kumaravadivelu's (2012) model of second language teacher education (consisting of the five modules of Knowing, Analysing, Recognising, Doing and Seeing). The findings were condensed into three thematic strands: (i) teacher authority: novice teachers can feel lost among different authorities (including ideological conflicts between university and school authorities) and their desire to establish their own teacher authority, but must eventually learn to think from the students' perspective to improve teaching, (ii) teacher socialisation: whether obtaining sufficient colleague and mentor support or not would lead to their diverse experiences, and (iii) two weaknesses in teacher preparation that require attention across both university preparation and in‐school training: the novice teachers were under‐prepared in procedural knowledge and in learning to theorize. These findings provide internationally relevant theoretical contributions that can advance the understanding of both novice teacher development and primary and secondary English language teacher training. From a practical perspective, the findings point to areas that need attention in novice language teachers' transition to the workplace and this may be relatable to international audiences. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyThis systematic review aims to reveal how the training provisions in Hong Kong have influenced early‐year primary and secondary school English language teachers' initial workplace experience.Why the new findings matterOur findings will reveal what impact training provisions for novice English language teachers may have on their initial workplace experience and what gaps may exist in such provisions.Implications for researchers, practitioners and teacher educatorsThe findings in this study can be applied to many other contexts like Hong Kong where English is used as one of the official languages or as a second language. Our recommendations can inform English language teacher education, by highlighting: (a) how novice teachers can feel lost between two different authorities: the school and the university; (b) how novice teachers can undergo a range of positive and negative experiences in their socialisation process; (c) how novice teachers struggle to develop their procedural knowledge; and (d) that novice teachers may not have received enough support in theory‐building.

Use of ICT in English Language Teaching Classroom

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

Policy and Practice of Listening in Secondary English Education: A Critical Reflection from Bangladesh

The current National Curriculum 2012 of English (VI- X) in Bangladesh incorporates both listening and speaking skills for its English education. Textbooks have also been designed in accordance with the policy which is set by the National Curriculum and Textbook Broad (NCTB). The English textbook, titled English for Today (EfT), was designed in alignment with the current National Curriculum for English (VI-X) for students in grades 6 through 10. The target of the EfT is to achieve students’ competency in integrated four skills of English language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, although the listening module is now in policy and classroom practice, it is neither assessed in school or in public exams at the secondary level (Kabir, 2020). This study explores the perceptions of policy and practice of listening in secondary English education in Bangladesh. This study may be significant as little research has been done in Bangladesh on listening skill and its significance for language competence, let alone on the teaching of listening in connection to language learning. This qualitative study is based on in-depth interview data collected in 2019. The interviews included pertinent participants of policymakers and secondary English teachers. The findings indicated that there was a disconnect in curriculum, classroom practice and assessment in secondary English education.

Peer Coaching as a Strategy for Teachers’ Professional Development

This study explores the English language teachers’ practices of peer coaching as a strategy for their professional development. Peer coaching is a strategy where one or more teachers from a partnership with one another for the purpose of collaboration and it also provides professional development. For this study, a sample of forty secondary and lower-secondary level teachers of English were selected from twenty schools in the Okhaldhunga district using purposive sampling procedures. Two English teachers from twenty schools were selected. A questionnaire was used that also included open-ended questions. Fifteen closed - ended and six open – ended questionnaires were used to collect required data. Teachers strongly agreed that peer coaching reduces the sense of isolation. They viewed that peer coaching is a procedure in which two teachers collaborate to help one or both to improve English language problems.

Teachers’ Perceptions towards English Language Teaching Pedagogy in Secondary Schools of Nepal

Recently research on English language teaching pedagogy has been receiving increased attention throughout the world, with a primary focus on classroom teaching strategies. This qualitative research study aims to explore the narratives of English language teachers about the use of English language teaching pedagogy in secondary schools in Nepal. The participants purposively selected for this study were four English language teachers teaching at the secondary level in public schools of Kanchanpur district. The researcher used narrative inquiry as a research method in which interview protocols with open-ended questions were employed as research tools to obtain information. The findings of the study showed that secondary English teachers have been shifting their classroom pedagogy from traditional teacher-centred approaches to modern innovative student-centred approaches. The study further revealed that teachers keep the knowledge of both teacher-centred and student-centred methods and techniques but practise them in the classrooms in their ways due to the limitations of prescribed methods. The study also revealed students’ level of English as the main barrier to their learning progress. The implication of the study is that the teachers should create more learning opportunities and environments inside and outside the classroom to increase students’ maximum time engagement in English learning-based activities that provide them with more exposure to English and enhances their learning.

Learners’ everyday experiences of violence in English medium secondary education in Uganda

This paper explores how Ugandan secondary school learners experience schooling in English-medium schools where the use of English only is strictly enforced. We conceptualise the ways that the learners sit at the intersection of direct, systemic and cultural violence that in turn impacts their educational experiences. We particularly focus on instances of direct violence through corporal punishment, and the ways that such violence, and associated fear, are part of many learners’ everyday schooling experiences. We demonstrate this through presentation of findings from thematic analysis of individual and focus group interviews with 64 learners at two public and two private secondary schools in the Amuru and Kitgum districts of Northern Uganda. Our conclusions advocate for greater attention to be paid to the ways that changes to enforced English-only policies could support more positive well-being and educational outcomes.

What kind of English teacher do they want? Learning area-specific role preferences and requirements in Australian non-government school job advertisements

ABSTRACT In addition to aligning with context-specific expectations of policymakers, initial teacher education of secondary English teachers can consider schools’ needs. Furthermore, schools may decrease attrition when they recruit teachers who meet their role requirements. To explore the learning area-specific role preferences and requirements of Australian non-government schools, a hybrid content analysis of N = 130 job advertisements was undertaken. Findings highlight three related but also distinct role preferences and requirements in relation to experience, qualifications and related knowledge, and English advocacy. It was also found that around one in five jobs were explicitly open to employing recent graduates. Job advertisements typically had poor coverage of learning area-specific role preferences and requirements, and only around a quarter of advertisements were seeking an applicant with suitable qualifications to teach in the English learning area. With reducing teacher attrition a key goal, schools could consider providing more detail in job advertisements to enable applicants to consider their skills and preferences in relation to the diverse needs of the secondary English teaching role.

Professional Empowerment Strategies of Nepali English language Teacher: A grand Narrative

This present paper aimed to explore professional empowering strategies of secondary English language teachers using a grand narrative inquiry method. For this study, interview was used to gather the grand narratives of four English language teachers. The critical events from their sharing were taken as authentic information and analyzed using transformative lens. The findings show that language teachers have become professionally more conscious, optimistic, updated, and transformative to accept the dynamic settings of English language teaching through building connection with language associations, social media messenger, workshop, seminar, and collaboration and sharing for empowering their skill. The findings also showed that the teachers respect the voices of the learners as the sources of imparting teaching learning skills and knowledge for professional enrichment.

Exploring Engagement and Efficacy in Secondary English Education in China: A Problem-Based Social Constructivism Approach

The English learning environment, both online and offline, can be improved through the implementation of effective pedagogical approaches. In response to secondary education needs, it is critical to establish comparable curriculum paradigms that address the knowledge acquisition gap and psychometric variation. This study aims to promote student engagement and self-efficacy in English education by implementing a problem-based learning (PBL) approach integrated with social constructivism (SC). A t-test and a correlation test were used in a single-group quasi-experiment with 45 participants. The results of paired samples t-tests show a significant difference in engagement (M = 4.78, SD = 2.95, p = .001, p < .05) and self-efficacy (M = 6.49, SD = 16.59, p = .01). Admittedly, both cognitive engagement and social engagement enhance grammatical and textual competence efficacy dramatically, leading to a spectacular improvement. After controlling for the pre-test, a correlation between engagement and efficacy remains significant (r (43) = -0.40, p = .01). In conclusion, the combination of PBL with SC education has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in facilitating English language learning, meeting the needs of secondary education teenagers, whether in a physical classroom or engaging through online platforms.

Chinese Pre-University Teachers' Foreign Language Anxiety, Teaching Anxiety, and Teacher Self-Efficacy

This study examined the relationships among Chinese pre-university teachers' foreign language anxiety, teaching anxiety and teacher self-efficacy. The participants were 210 Chinese primary and secondary English teachers who completed a battery of questionnaires. The results showed that: (a) the participants reported low to moderate levels of foreign language anxiety and teaching anxiety, as well as a high level of self-efficacy; (b) foreign language anxiety directly and negatively predicted the participants' self-efficacy; (c) foreign language anxiety was a positive predictor of teaching anxiety; (d) teaching anxiety mediated the link between foreign language anxiety and self-efficacy. This study highlights the importance of addressing language teachers' foreign language anxiety and teaching anxiety, and provides insights into enhancing teachers' self-efficacy.

Exploring Perceived Classroom Based Assessment Knowledge and Practices

One of the major roles of a teacher is assessing student performance in classrooms. Assessment is an essential aspect of teaching and learning that has led to significant time allocation for assessment activities. In Malaysia, classroom-based assessment (CBA) has been implemented formally since 2016. CBA is a process of assessing students continuously during teaching and learning. CBA is a multifaceted approach to assessment that can be adjusted according to students and learning outcomes. CBA is aimed at supporting and improving student learning. CBA can be directly included in the teaching and learning process; and can also be adapted to various educational objectives and contexts. This paper explores the perceptions of English language teachers towards CBA. This study also explores perceptions of CBA and the relationship with teachers’ assessment practices. This study employed a questionnaire to gather data. The study involved 164 secondary English language teachers in one school district in the northern region of Malaysia. The study found that the perceptions towards CBA and assessment practices of teachers are positively related, suggesting that when teachers' attitudes towards assessment changed, so did their practices. This study provides insights into how CBA can be integrated into language classrooms to enhance assessment practices. It is hoped that these findings of this study will provide valuable insights to policymakers and stakeholders to make well-informed decisions. It is hoped that this study can help illuminate the potential of CBA in refining assessment practices in Malaysia.

The Mistakes that Teachers of English make in Managing their Classes in Almarj/ Libya

This study aimed at investigating the mistakes that teachers of English make in managing their classes from the teachers perspectives in Almarj /Libya .To achieve the study aim, the researcher used A thirty- eight item questionnaire to collect information about the mistakes of classroom management. The population of the study consisted of all secondary English language teachers in Al-marj the scholastic year 2021-2022 .The sample of the study was composed of (40) teachers. The major results of the study that the researcher found were the following: teachers do not use clear classroom rules, ignore bad behavior, and do not reinforce good behavior, or communicate with parents also they do not work in groups in order to avoid classroom management mistakes, not listen to students and try to solve their problems.

Teaching is a Drag! Performing Gender as a Queer Secondary English Teacher

ABSTRACT In light of recent protests at Drag Queen Story Hour events, this essay offers a critical examination of the role of gender performance in secondary schools and English lessons through a personal exploration of how I perform gender as a queer English teacher. I show that schools perpetuate a model of gender that is binary and heterosexist; that teachers and students perform gender in complex ways; that reading in English requires queer performances of gender; and that the professional is always personal when it comes to teacher development.

“I can almost recognize its voice”: AI and its impact on ethical teacher-centaur labor

PurposeThis study builds on previous theoretical work that considered artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential for creating “teacher-centaurs” whose labor could be accelerated through the use of generative AI (Fassbender, in review). The purpose of this paper is to use empirical methods to study centaur teachers and the division of labor (Durkheim, 1893/2013) that arise from outsourcing teaching tasks to AI.Design/methodology/approachMultiple case study (Stake, 2006) was used to collect data on two secondary English teachers who were early adopters of generative AI. Data included semi-structured interviews as well as ChatGPT chat logs, which helped in describing how teaching approaches evolved using AI technology.FindingsResults showed that teachers used AI for planning, instruction and assessment. AI-augmented teaching practices allowed teachers to complete tasks with greater speed, which in turn increased stamina and short-term work–life balance. Given the novelty of AI, concerns about data privacy and academic integrity raised ethical questions.Originality/valueChatGPT’s rise to popularity in 2023 brought with it significant discussions about education, specifically how students would use AI primarily as a tool for plagiarism. This study takes a different focus, considering how early adoption of AI has begun changing teacher labor, offering implications for the future of the teaching profession.

Pre-service teachers’ skills development through educational video generation

ABSTRACT The impacts of the pandemic on education have highlighted the need to improve pre-service teachers’ digital skills training. This quantitative study explored pre-service teachers’ perceptions on how the design, generation, and dissemination of didactic videos enhance their teaching competences. Early childhood, primary, and secondary education English (as a foreign language) pre-service teachers have produced eight different types of educational content in video format (stories, linguistic content, tutorials, documentaries, news programmes, contests, literary reviews, and educational system criticism) addressed to schools´ audience. These videos have been circulated through YouTube channels linked to an open-access online TV portal. The results showed that these educational videos contributed to enriching their skills. Pre-service teachers’ highly positive perceptions regarding improvements of these competences, remark, above all, the development of teamwork abilities thanks to this experience, and let researchers reflect on the design of more effective learning experiences through didactic video generation to ameliorate teacher education.

Lifting up Talk as a Crucial Practice in the Writing Classroom

The work of three secondary English teachers illustrates the power and risks of centering talk as a practice in writing classrooms.

Competence-based language curricula: implementation challenges in Africa

Abstract Drawing on a case study design, this article examines the real-life adaptive challenges secondary school teachers of English in Uganda face while implementing the 2020 English language competence-based curriculum innovation. Findings indicate that scarcity of instructional materials, time constraints and large class sizes, limited planning and stakeholders’ support, dissonance between local culture and learning styles significantly underlie complications ESL teachers face adapting and implementing competence-based curricula innovations in English language classrooms in low-income contexts in the global south. The experiences of teachers in Uganda resonate across most global south ESL educational contexts. They illustrate the universality of challenges teachers face and are likely to face when implementing competence-based curricula in sub-Saharan Africa and the wider global south where the teaching and learning of English is premised on facilitating acquisition of English language for meaningful interaction.

Relational Poetic Practice: Affordances and Possibilities of High School Teachers’ Online Poetry Community during COVID-19

Using interpretive phenomenological analysis of oral history interviews, this study explored poetic experiences of nine US secondary English language arts teachers who participated in a month of online poetry writing during COVID-19. The manuscript explores how poetic relationality created space for these secondary English language arts teachers, mostly in rural school districts, to reflect on their realities during COVID-19. These teachers came to understand themselves not just as teachers but also as poets, an understanding that helped sustain them as they taught in digital contexts, during social distancing and school closures.