Using Activity Theory to understand the contradictions in an online transatlantic collaboration between student-teachers of English as a Foreign Language

ReCALL ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Antoniadou
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Teaching English

AbstractThis article describes the contradictions reported by student-teachers in Barcelona who engaged in telecollaboration with transatlantic peers via Second Life, during their initial training in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. The data analysis draws upon Grounded Theory and is theoretically informed by Activity Theory and the notion of contradictions. The study discusses technology-based, intra- and inter-institutional contradictions, their impact on the development of the telecollaborative activity, and outcomes in bolstering student-teachers’ conceptual understanding of Network-Based Language Instruction.

scholarly journals A Study on the Use of Mixed Language in Teaching English at Hospitality Management Class

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
Ni Luh Supartini ◽  
Ni Putu Oka Agustini
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Hospitality Management ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Interview Session ◽  
Mixed Language

Learning English as a foreign language required some strategies to achieve the goal of communication. In teaching and learning process, the teacher and students frequently use their first language to explain the difficult word in English. This study aimed to investigate the language used by the teacher as communication strategies in teaching English as a foreign language and students’ responses toward the use of each type of language instruction in teaching English at Hospitality class. To investigate the study there were 2 teachers and 2 classes of hospitality management class as the subject. The data were collected through observation of teaching and learning process and interview session. The study was designed as descriptive qualitative research and the data were analyzed descriptively. The finding showed that the teacher used the target language frequently, however the used of mixed language to explain some difficult words also found in teaching and learning process.  

Foreign Language Instruction in a Virtual Environment

2010 ◽  
pp. 306-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Kaplan-Rakowski
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Cultural Relevance ◽  
Foreign Language Instruction ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Technological Characteristics ◽  
Based Instruction

The chapter conveys the experiences of using the virtual world Second Life (SL) to supplement classroom-based instruction of an introductory foreign language class. With attention given to the needs of educators and instructional designers, as well as students, the author presents selected activities, along with detailed practical plans and theoretical justifications for those activities. She follows by discussing the technological characteristics of SL (communication features, logging features, and features used to ease activity preparation) that the author found to be of particular pedagogical value in her instruction. The importance of situated cognition, cultural relevance, self-pacing, students’ autonomy, and interactivity with diminished inhibition is examined as well.

To do or not to do: willingness to communicate in the ESL context

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Syeda Farzana Bukhari ◽  
Xiaoguang Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Successful Communication ◽  
Do So

English is used by more than one and a half billion people as a first, second or foreign language for communication purposes (Strevens, 1992). In this context, the purpose of teaching English has shifted from mastery of the grammatical rules to the ability to use the target language for successful communication. Consequently, the communication aspect of teaching and learning English has become the key issue in the domain of second language acquisition (Yashima, 2002: 54). Therefore, the issue of whether the learners will communicate in English when they have the chance to do so and to what extent they are willing to communicate gain importance. These questions have led to the emergence of an important construct in the field of L2 instruction, i.e. willingness to communicate (hereafter, WTC), which is defined as a learner's ‘readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons, using a L2’ (MacIntyre et al., 1998: 547). MacIntyre and his associates even proposed that WTC in L2 should be conceptualized as ‘the primary goal’ of language instruction (MacIntyre et al., 1998: 545). This paper explores the important concept of WTC by looking into Pakistani students' WTC in Canada.

scholarly journals A Study on the Use of Lexical Chunks by Chinese EFL Learners in Writing

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Ling Shi ◽  
Lei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
High Stake ◽  
Evolution Of Language ◽  
College English ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Lexical Approach ◽  
National Test

<p>Lexical Approach put forward by Michael Lewis (1993) is widely acknowledged in EFL teaching and lexical teaching is very important development in the evolution of language teaching (Lowe, 2003).<strong> </strong>For about thirty years of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in China, more and more teachers have realized the importance of teaching and encouraging learners to use ready-made lexical chunks. However, the present study focuses on the overuse of lexical chunks in learners’ writings in a high stake national test (College English Test Band 6 – CET6). The corpus-based data analysis will be done to find the most commonly used lexical chunks by Chinese EFL learners and demonstrate what is meant to be the overuse of lexical chunks. Furthermore, the reasons for misuse and overuse of lexical chunks will be discussed. The findings drawn from structural and functional analysis of lexical chunks also have some pedagogical implications.</p>

scholarly journals Toward Increased Professionalism in Teaching English as a Second or Other Language through Pre-service Trainee Teacher Mentoring in the United Arab Emirates

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Anthony Jonathan Solloway
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
English Language ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teacher Mentoring ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
The Status ◽  
Employment Standards

For a variety of reasons, both historical and sociological, the feasibility – as well as the very desirability – of mainstream teaching securing the status of a profession (in the sense of established professions such as law, medicine, architecture, and engineering) has long been questioned (e.g., Burbules and Densmore, 1991). If this is the case as regard regular, mainstream education, what then is the situation in relation to the subfield of teaching that is teaching English as a second or other language (TESOL)? Sadly, few if any would likely doubt that the field has so far failed to achieve the status of a recognized profession. There are numerous causes of this failure, though some especially salient reasons – less than stellar public perceptions of the fields of English as a second language/English as a foreign language, employment standards of the private sector, that is, the (in) famous English language teaching industry, the initial training and qualifications of those in the field, and discriminatory practices – will be highlighted in the following discussion. In addition, the second half of this paper draws and reflects on a trainee teacher mentoring scheme at a federally-sponsored institution of higher education in the United Arab Emirates – now sadly discontinued – which the author participated in for 3 years between 2011 and 2015, and which, it is argued, exemplified programs which can go some not inconsiderable way toward combatting a number of the obstacles currently preventing the field of TESOL achieving the status of a legitimate profession.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Motivational Teaching Strategies in an EFL Classroom: The Case of a Class in a Private University in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rachmania Bachtiar Kassing
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching Strategies ◽  
Private University ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
Specific Teaching

<p>Students’ motivation in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom is affected by their perceptions of the teaching strategies used. These perceptions are influenced by the context in which they learn. This study aims to explore both tertiary students’ and their lecturers’ perceptions of teaching strategies that both groups consider impact on students’ motivation in learning EFL in an eastern region of Indonesia. This study used a qualitative research methodology. The case was composed of one cohort of student-teachers and their EFL lecturers in one Teacher Training and Education Faculty of one private university in the area of Sulawesi Island of Indonesia. The data were collected from semi-structured individual interviews with EFL (English as a Foreign Language) lecturers and focus groups with student- teachers. Both the lecturers and the student-teachers agreed that creating and maintaining relationships was a highly effective strategy to motivate students in an EFL classroom. However, the findings also showed that the two groups of participants put different values on the teaching strategies employed by EFL lecturers in this context. The study also found that some EFL lecturers were not aware of how some of the strategies that they used in teaching English impacted on their learners’ motivation. Lecturers’ time commitments outside this university proved to be a significant challenge in maximizing the use of some motivational teaching strategies in teaching English. These findings raise implications for lecturers’ practice. By being more aware of how students view specific teaching strategies in the EFL classroom, teachers can enhance students’ motivation, by generating, maintaining and building on initial motivation.</p>

scholarly journals Teacher Competences for Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the First Educational Cycle of Primary Education

2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 423-433
Author(s):  
Mateja Dagarin-Fojkar ◽  
Mirjam Grahut ◽  
Darija Skubic
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Subject Specific ◽  
Teacher Needs ◽  
Teacher Competences ◽  
Teachers Attitudes

<p style="text-align:justify">Foreign language teaching in the Slovenian educational context begins in the first grade (age 6). Many studies report a lack of qualified teachers at this stage of learning around the world and numerous authors emphasise the misconception that basic linguistic and didactic knowledge of teachers is sufficient for teaching children. All three Slovenian public universities are aware of this problem and offer pre-service and in-service programmes for (student) teachers who want to specialise in teaching English to young learners. In the present article, we focus on the subject-specific teacher competences for teaching English in the first three years of primary education; namely, linguistic, subject didactic and intercultural competences. We explore teachers’ self-assessment of these competences and their perception of certain elements pertaining to them. The study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) What subject-specific competences do teachers consider essential for teaching English in the first cycle of primary education? (2) To what extent do teachers believe they have developed certain subject-specific competences? (3) What are teachers’ attitudes toward certain subject-specific competences that the teacher needs for teaching English in the first cycle of primary education? The results of the quantitative survey, in which 100 teachers participated, show that teachers perceive their subject didactic competence to be the most developed and their intercultural competence to be the least developed. Moreover, they consider that a basic level of English is not sufficient for teaching English in the first grades.</p>

scholarly journals Teacher Competences for Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the First Educational Cycle of Primary Education

2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 423-433
Author(s):  
Mateja Dagarin-Fojkar ◽  
Mirjam Grahut ◽  
Darija Skubic
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Subject Specific ◽  
Teacher Needs ◽  
Teacher Competences ◽  
Teachers Attitudes

<p style="text-align: justify;">Foreign language teaching in the Slovenian educational context begins in the first grade (age 6). Many studies report a lack of qualified teachers at this stage of learning around the world and numerous authors emphasise the misconception that basic linguistic and didactic knowledge of teachers is sufficient for teaching children. All three Slovenian public universities are aware of this problem and offer pre-service and in-service programmes for (student) teachers who want to specialise in teaching English to young learners. In the present article, we focus on the subject-specific teacher competences for teaching English in the first three years of primary education; namely, linguistic, subject didactic and intercultural competences. We explore teachers’ self-assessment of these competences and their perception of certain elements pertaining to them. The study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) What subject-specific competences do teachers consider essential for teaching English in the first cycle of primary education? (2) To what extent do teachers believe they have developed certain subject-specific competences? (3) What are teachers’ attitudes toward certain subject-specific competences that the teacher needs for teaching English in the first cycle of primary education? The results of the quantitative survey, in which 100 teachers participated, show that teachers perceive their subject didactic competence to be the most developed and their intercultural competence to be the least developed. Moreover, they consider that a basic level of English is not sufficient for teaching English in the first grades.</p>

scholarly journals Perceptions of Motivational Teaching Strategies in an EFL Classroom: The Case of a Class in a Private University in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rachmania Bachtiar Kassing
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching Strategies ◽  
Private University ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
Specific Teaching

<p>Students’ motivation in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom is affected by their perceptions of the teaching strategies used. These perceptions are influenced by the context in which they learn. This study aims to explore both tertiary students’ and their lecturers’ perceptions of teaching strategies that both groups consider impact on students’ motivation in learning EFL in an eastern region of Indonesia. This study used a qualitative research methodology. The case was composed of one cohort of student-teachers and their EFL lecturers in one Teacher Training and Education Faculty of one private university in the area of Sulawesi Island of Indonesia. The data were collected from semi-structured individual interviews with EFL (English as a Foreign Language) lecturers and focus groups with student- teachers. Both the lecturers and the student-teachers agreed that creating and maintaining relationships was a highly effective strategy to motivate students in an EFL classroom. However, the findings also showed that the two groups of participants put different values on the teaching strategies employed by EFL lecturers in this context. The study also found that some EFL lecturers were not aware of how some of the strategies that they used in teaching English impacted on their learners’ motivation. Lecturers’ time commitments outside this university proved to be a significant challenge in maximizing the use of some motivational teaching strategies in teaching English. These findings raise implications for lecturers’ practice. By being more aware of how students view specific teaching strategies in the EFL classroom, teachers can enhance students’ motivation, by generating, maintaining and building on initial motivation.</p>

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