‘I'm Telling You … The Language Barrier is the Most, the Biggest Challenge’: Barriers to Education among Karen Refugee Women in Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula G. Watkins ◽  
Husna Razee ◽  
Juliet Richters
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Barriers To Education ◽  
Refugee Women ◽  
Education Participation ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

This article examines factors influencing English language education, participation and achievement among Karen refugee women in Australia. Data were drawn from ethnographic observations and interviews with 67 participants between 2009 and 2011, collected as part of a larger qualitative study exploring the well-being of Karen refugee women in Sydney. Participants unanimously described difficulty with English language proficiency and communication as the ‘number one’ problem affecting their well-being. Gendered, cultural and socio-political factors act as barriers to education. We argue that greater sensitivity to refugees' backgrounds, culture and gender is necessary in education. Research is needed into the combined relationships between culture and gender across pre-displacement, displacement and resettlement and the impact of these factors on post-immigration educational opportunities. Training is needed to sensitise educators to the complex issues of refugee resettlement. The paper concludes with recommendations for service provision and policy.

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 Directive forms Expressed by Male and Female Respondents in Different Situational Contexts

Humaniora ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Euodia Inge Gavenila ◽  
Yohanes Arsa ◽  
Truly Almendo Pasaribu
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Language And Gender ◽  
Situational Contexts ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Relationship

This research intended to explore the relationship between language and gender by answering two research questions. First, it was how male and female respondents expressed directive forms. Second, it was what the social factors that influenced the choice of directive forms were. The two issues were considered urgent because gender was a variable that determined how people used language, including directive forms. Data were collected by distributing offline open-ended questionnaires to 18 students from the 2015-2017 batch of the English Language Education Study Program (ELESP) of Sanata Dharma University. The results show that to some extent females and males express directive forms differently. Men tend to be direct in expressing directive messages, while women use interrogative and declarative forms in delivering the messages since these forms are considered as more polite and less direct. Women tend to save their faces by using more indirect or polite forms because they avoid being considered impolite. Then, social class, the relationship between participants, and formality alsoinfluence the use of directive forms. 

Recontextualizing Immersion in the Chinese Context

2017 ◽  
pp. 177-190
Author(s):  
Tao Xiong
Keyword(s):  
Bilingual Education ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Education In China

Immersion and bilingual education have been key concepts in English language education policies and practices. Though discussions have been made on the theoretical and practical issues of bilingual education in China, there has been much disagreement between which model of bilingual education is suitable for the Chinese context, as well as which terminology to use. Drawing on interview, observation, and documentary data gathered during a three-year study of a public-funded foreign language school in Shenzhen, one of the most economically developed cities in China, this chapter is focused on the impact of a Sino-Canadian collaborative educational program on the teachers, students, and school leadership, and reports some preliminary findings and thoughts on related issues. The conclusion is that immersion and bilingual education in the Chinese educational context needs to be reconceptualized and reinterpreted.

A Study on English Language Education in Rural Schools of India: The Situation, the Policy and the Curriculum

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Nazeer Hussain Khan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
School Education ◽  
Upward Movement ◽  
Indian Languages ◽  
English Language Education

The language policy in school education emerged as a political and social consensus, though established equality among the languages in school education, is somehow heading for a competitive bi / multilingualism in which the English language is (perceived to be) over taking Indian languages. On the contrary the quality of English language education in majority of Indian schools presents a very appalling picture. Teacher’s language proficiency, exposure to language and materials are major concerns for quality English language learning. An analysis of curricular statements and syllabi of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland reveals how planning for language in education is not looked at holistically in terms of basic assumptions about language learning / acquisition (how language learning takes place), learner profiles and the contexts in which learning takes place, and the recent developments in language learning-teaching. Most states refuse to move beyond the good old structural approach of the 1950s and the 60s, while they stress for communication skills to help the learner for an upward movement. This, in reality, reveals the paradoxical situations of an English language education which would further place the rural learner in a very disadvantaged situation. There are so many curricular packages in the Andhra Pradesh to reach the goals. English will continue to dominate the school curriculum not only as a language, but as a medium of learning too. Given the important roles to English in education and in the larger society (Tickoo 1996), this will have greater implications for language education, particularly English language education in rural settings. While some of our native languages are losing their battle for survival where English is taking the ‘killer’ role and the curricular documents calling for collaborative bi-/multilingualism, what in reality felt is subtractive bilingualism? This dangerous trend may lead to mass conversion to English medium instruction in our schools, both urban and rural schools. We must ensure that English as a language in education is fully realized in terms of the basic conditions for learning the language and those educated through native medium schools attain the proficiency that would not hamper them to move forward to higher education and employment any other urban English medium educated child would compete.

scholarly journals CREATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE ATMOSPHERE IN TEACHING ENGLISH

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena A. Veliyeva
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Environment Model ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Training Organization

During practical study it was offered a new model of the English language education for students, that was tested in current conditions of traditionally common at Azerbaijan national universities. The need to create this model is due to the dissatisfaction of the professional community with the results of such training. This paper consists of two parts. The first part briefly analyzes a number of interacting extralinguistic factors that differently influence the process of learning English by the students in the classrooms, in small training groups, under the guidance of the teacher according to standard methods. The second part of this paper is a description of the foreign language environment model in the single educational atmosphere of a technical university. The task set by the developers of this model is not only to reduce the negative and strengthen the positive influence of the external factors complex, but also to stimulate students for study of English through foreign-language socialization in academic and professionally oriented discourse. The principles of a model organization of the single foreign language atmosphere, a system of uniform control and assessment of English language proficiency are presented in this paper. Preliminary results obtained during the testing of this model were analyzed. The main advantages of the training organization through this model, which allows to increase motivation for students to learn English have been considered during the research.

Recontextualizing Immersion in the Chinese Context

2022 ◽  
pp. 256-269
Author(s):  
Tao Xiong
Keyword(s):  
Bilingual Education ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Education In China

Immersion and bilingual education have been key concepts in English language education policies and practices. Though discussions have been made on the theoretical and practical issues of bilingual education in China, there has been much disagreement between which model of bilingual education is suitable for the Chinese context, as well as which terminology to use. Drawing on interview, observation, and documentary data gathered during a three-year study of a public-funded foreign language school in Shenzhen, one of the most economically developed cities in China, this chapter is focused on the impact of a Sino-Canadian collaborative educational program on the teachers, students, and school leadership, and reports some preliminary findings and thoughts on related issues. The conclusion is that immersion and bilingual education in the Chinese educational context needs to be reconceptualized and reinterpreted.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Language Teacher Education Programs: A Comparative Study of Turkey and Other European Countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonca Altmisdort
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Language Teacher Education ◽  
Language Teacher

<p>The main aim of this study is to analyze and discuss the similarities and the differences between English language teacher educationial programs at universities in Turkey, and to identify the undergraduate students’ ideas about their current curriculum. In addition to this, the study aims to compare the education of English language teacher education in some countries in which English language proficiency scores are at the highest level in EF EPI (EF English Language Proficiency Index), and to suggest some important points to improve the language teacher educationial programs in Turkey.</p><p>In the study, a document analysis and a semi-directed interviews with the 30 students in English language education departments in Turkey are implemented to provide valid and reliable results. The interview questions are based on students’ thoughts and ideas describing the sufficiency of their programs, and their goals and objectives. In the study, also, the course curricula of 15 English language teacher education programs are examined and compared. In this research, qualitative and quantitative methods are used. The study includes an international comparison of English language teacher education. With the comparison of the programs, some weak points of English language education programs in Turkey are determined. Besides, in the study, with the analysis of the English teacher education in 5 countries, the ways in which how they reached these targets are defined. At the end of the study, some suggestions are submitted to design and develop English language teacher education programs to produce more successful future teachers and English language education.</p>

scholarly journals TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH PARADIGM AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POLICY

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Zainal ‘Arifin
Keyword(s):  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Learning Paradigm ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Academic Policy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Learning English

Theory on Teaching English is currently moving on a paradigm shift. This paradigm occurred because of a review on the basics of linguistic, pedagogic and the review on the impact of sociolinguistics in a globalized setting. This paper aims to show the results of comparative study which is textual on the teaching and learning English paradigm and the policy has been implemented by both universities. The objective of the study is to describe the comparison of the paradigm between English Language Education and academic policy in both universities. Descriptive qualitative in the form of textual analysis is used in this study. Data were taken from the analysis of documents and interviews with academicians in both universities then analyzed using the theory of a paradigm shift in learning English (Kostoulas, 2010) and academic policy (Center for Quality Assurance, UGM, 2012) using an interactive model of Miles and Huberman. The validity of the data used triangulation methods and data sources. The results show that the content of English Language Education taught at the Division of English Language Education (ELE) HKU and at the English Language Education Department (PBI) IAIN Surakarta have the same characteristics but the ways in providing educational materials are relatively different. The paradigm and academic policiy in ELE HKU applied the learning paradigm while at PBI IAIN Surakarta is still applying on teaching paradigm. When the study was conducted by researcher, the ELE Department IAIN Surakarta has been moving towards a paradigm shift in some academic elements as the use of the methods by lecturers called learning paradigm, although the method is not covered by the policy. The difference between Paradigm and policy in both universities is influenced by the context of the political situation, especially the rules of ministry of higher education, cultural context and the orientation on each university. Keywords: Paradigm Shift, Academic Policy, English Language Education, Intertextual Analysis

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