The reform of the National Matriculation English Test and its impact on the future of English in China

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhai Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Further Education ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Chain Reactions ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

With more and more importance being attached to English since China's economic reform and opening up to the outside world in the late 1970s, the entire Chinese society has placed such high importance to the learning of English that at times it even plays a vital role for a person who plans to pursue further education and seek a better career (China Daily, 5 August, 2010). However, the end of 2013 saw an ‘unanticipated’ reform of policy on the National Matriculation English Test (henceforth, NMET) instituted by the Chinese Ministry of Education (henceforth, MOE). It was ‘unanticipated’ because in the past few years the Chinese government has invested heavily in English language teaching. As reported by ABC News (15 November, 2010), ‘China is pushing its people to learn English’, and English has thus occupied a prominent place in the life of the Chinese people because it is the ‘key’ to success (Chen, 2008: 16-37). According to this new policy, the once favorite ‘son’, i.e. English, may lose its predominance in the Chinese foreign language landscape and its importance may be diminished in exams. These changes are likely to cause a series of chain reactions since the dominant position of English largely lies in its weight in various levels of exams, with the NMET having the greatest impact. Given the determining factor of the NMET in Chinese people's attitudes towards English, NMET reform would almost undoubtedly change the current situation of English in China and it would be no exaggeration to say that it will have a foreseeable impact on various aspects of Chinese social life as well. In this article, I briefly review the causes for the ‘focus shift’ and attempt an analysis of the impact of the role of English in China in the future.

scholarly journals English in China today

English Today ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kingsley Bolton ◽  
David Graddol
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Wall Street ◽  
State Education ◽  
Language Schools ◽  
China Daily

According to a 2010 China Daily article, the number of English learners in China is now around 400 million, approximately one third of China's population (see also Wei and Su, this issue). The importance of English in the state education system has been supplemented by the rapid growth of privately-run language schools and training institutes across the country in recent years. The same article quoted a comment by Ms Xiao Yan, the public relations manager of the Wall Street English language school chain, who gave her explanation for the current popularity of English in the following terms: More and more importance has been given to English after China carried out the policy of reform and opening up to the outside world in the late 1970s. And accompanying China's rise on the world stage in recent years are growing connections of commerce and culture with other countries, especially those developed English-speaking countries […] The entire Chinese society attaches high importance to the English study as sometimes it even plays a vital role for a person who plans to pursue further education and seek a better career. There is no doubt that people who have a good command of English are more competitive than their peers. (China Daily, 2010a)

scholarly journals Constraints on innovation in English language teaching in hinterland regions of China

2020 ◽  
pp. 136216882097985
Author(s):  
Neil Murray ◽  
Antony J. Liddicoat ◽  
Gavin Zhen ◽  
Penny Mosavian
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
English Language ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Chinese Government

Since the start of the twenty-first century, English has come to be seen by the Chinese government as a linchpin of its continued economic and political influence. Its resultant efforts to promote innovation in English language teaching align with the aspirations of a population, many of whom regard competency in English as a determiner of opportunity and success in their careers, and thus a vehicle through which to provide a good quality of life for themselves and their families. However, despite government-driven initiatives to improve English language education, change has been slow to materialize, especially outside of the main urban areas of Eastern China. Here, we report on a study that sought to explore the constraints governing attempts by teachers of English to innovate in universities located in some of the so-called ‘hinterland’ regions of Southwestern China. Key determinants that emerged, and which we discuss, included time pressure and competing priorities; scepticism towards new ideas; lack of investment in resources; the primacy of the textbook; students’ language proficiency; and opportunities for professional development. Together, these findings indicate the need for a change of culture if innovation is to be welcomed, both in principle and in practice, as a driver of positive change in the teaching of English in these universities. Teachers, their line managers, and university senior managers need to feel willing and able to engage freely in constructive and informed discourse, and in doing so consider recalibrating institutional priorities, thereby helping reconcile the pressures and tensions currently experienced by English language teachers and which impede progress.

Impact of inquiry-based English teaching through digital applications on primary schoolchildren's reading comprehension and autonomy in pandemic situation

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (S3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterine Pipia ◽  
Irina Chikovani
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Autonomy Development ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Quantitative Manner ◽  
The Impact

Considering the urgency of integrating technologies in the contemporary classrooms, the aim of the presented study has been shaped to outline the impact of inquiry-based English language teaching through digital applications on primary learners’ reading comprehension and autonomy development during a pandemic outbreak of COVID-19. The research context has been designed in a quantitative manner to analyze experiment results and compare control and treatment group learners’ reading comprehension and academic achievement levels as well as to measure primary schoolchildren’s level of autonomy before and after the treatment. The subjects’ autonomy level, curiosity and interest in reading through digital applications before and after the experiment have been evaluated through pre and post-experimental questionnaires. Learning processes of two experimental and two control groups were compared to create four research contexts for the study. Discrepancy between inquiry-based teaching through a digital library and a traditional way of teaching reading has been emphasized in the study results. The obtained data has been analyzed using SPSS to compare the academic performance results. The study revealed that inquiry-based English language teaching through digital applications highly enhanced the primary learners’ academic performance in reading and increased their motivation level to study independently.

scholarly journals ELT Syllabus: Hegemonic Sabotaging of Pakistan’s Ideology at HSSC level

2018 ◽  
Vol III (I) ◽  
pp. 58-77
Author(s):  
Ejaz Mirza ◽  
Nazak Hussain ◽  
Syed Ali Shah
Keyword(s):  
Positive Attitude ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cultural Representation ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Culture Studies ◽  
Foreign Culture ◽  
Compulsory Subject ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Target Culture ◽  
English Culture

English Language Teaching has become a compulsory subject in the curricula of many developing countries. There has been an increase in the trend of skeptic viewing of the credibility of this subject for teaching only a language and not its ideology and culture. Studies show that under the impact of ELT learners develop a positive attitude to English culture and depreciation of the indigenous one. Same is the case in Pakistan. English ideologies and cultural representation were uncovered through the application of CDA. The main ideologies found in these books were superiority of “Us/Self” and the inferiority of “Them/Other”. The paper present the source and target culture in their true perspective making the source culture part of esteem instead of the foreign culture.

scholarly journals Why can't we do it as teachers: English language teaching from the perspectives of secondary school teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-84
Author(s):  
Sevim Maviş ◽  
Fevzi Dursun
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study is to discover the issues in teaching English from the perspective of teachers. The qualitative method was employed in the study by using semi-structured interview forms to 19 teachers from a central Black Sea region province of Turkey. The teachers highlighted the impact of learning-teaching process, teacher training, teacher-stakeholder relationship and students during the study. According to the teachers, students' prejudices against foreign language learning, interest in the subject, awareness of the importance of language learning, speaking skills, participation in the lesson and the environment they take the courses affect the language learning process. Nevertheless, the reasons for the problems are a lot more complex than this. The students are also need to be supported by the education system, by the parents and by teachers in this process. For instance, the results shows that there is a need for activities that will make students more active, and more suitable environments and materials (i.e. books) are needed for English language teaching. Also, the teachers need to the support of parents, administrators, and the other teachers to become more efficient. This research once again reveals the importance of interrelation of all factors and stakeholders as well as students' willingness and thoughts in teaching English.

scholarly journals The impact of bullying on EFL students’ academic achievement at state Islamic universities in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Safrul Muluk ◽  
Habiburrahim Habiburrahim ◽  
Syarifah Dahliana ◽  
Saiful Akmal
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Triggering Factors ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Classroom Bullying ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Issues and incidents of bullying may take place, regardless of time and place, notwithstanding at Islamic education institutions. This study is aimed at finding out types of bullying and their triggering factors taking place in the university classroom; examining steps taken by lecturers to anticipate and prevent classroom bullying; and analyzing the impact of bullying on EFL students’ academic achievement. This mixed-methods study involved 546 students and 30 lecturers of the English Language Education Department at three state Islamic universities in Indonesia; Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga in Yogyakarta, and Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry in Banda Aceh. Both surveys and interviews were employed to collect the required data. The findings elucidate that physical, social, verbal, and racial are among the most common emergent bullying incidents the students experienced. Revealing the triggering factors of bullying, the data show that competition in academic and social life, differences in thoughts and appearances, lack of understanding of bullying meaning, and lack of regulation are pointed as the source of bullying. The findings also indicate that bullying influences students’ academic achievement; bullying incidents have driven their victims into four pathetic conditions: less confident, stressed, anxious, and passive. Some steps are applied by the lecturer to prevent and handle bullying; they are: providing classroom regulation, being a counselor for students, enforcing the regulation, and massive socialization.

scholarly journals English Language Teaching in Islamic Education in Indonesia; Challenges and Opportunities

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Tuti Hidayati
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
National Language ◽  
Islamic Education ◽  
National Education ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Western Values ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Islamic Values

The dominant use of English in every field covering politic, economic, and sosial culture these days has manifested in its gaining a special position in many countries where it is not spoken. In Indonesia, it is a foreign language officially constituted as part of national education curriculum and becomes a requirement in a number of higher education and workforce entry. Yet, ELT in Indonesia faces various constraints including, but is not limited, the anxiousness to threat the purity of Bahasa Indonesia, the national language, and the worry about liberal western values embedded in English to corrupt the youngsters moral and attitudes. Interestingly, Islamic education that maintains a vital role among Indonesians has included English alongside other secular sciences and technology as part of its curriculum in its current advancement. In this regard, the paper will show how critical Islamic education role among Indonesians is, how ELT in Indonesia has developed, what challenges it experiences, and what opportunities it posseses in the context of Indonesian Islamic Education. The paper argues that Islamic education remains the choice of the Indonesian Muslim communities as long as it is able to meet the demands of living in the globalization era while keeping the Islamic values in all the learning process. It further suggests that ELT in Indonesia needs to incorporate Islamic values and show that English learning put no threats and negative influences to Indonesian culture in general and Islamic religious values in particular.

The Impact of Pre-service Teachers' Reflection on their Instructional Practices

2016 ◽  
pp. 209-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yesim Kesli Dollar ◽  
Enisa Mede
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Management ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Instructional Practices ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The Impact

This chapter aims to investigate the impact of reflection on freshmen pre-service English teachers' classroom practices. Specifically, it explores how the participating student teachers' perceptions influenced their instructional practices as a result of participation in reflection activities. The participants of the study were ten freshmen student teachers enrolled in the English Language Teaching undergraduate program at a foundation (non-profit private) university in Turkey. Data came from the reflections of the participating student teachers about their recently-completed 15-hour field-based experience at the pre-school level. As a part of this class reflection activity, the participants were prompted to keep a diary in one of their undergraduate courses and respond to a series of statements or questions related to their classroom observation tasks. They were also engaged in class discussions and were required to write their overall feedback based on their field-based experience. The findings of the study revealed that reflective activities helped the prospective student teachers identify their strengths and weaknesses related to classroom activities, use of materials (use of technology and visuals) and classroom management, leading to self-awareness about their understanding and application of teaching skills and strategies.

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