Exploring English as an International Language – Curriculum, Materials and Pedagogical Strategies

RELC Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhichang Xu
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Curriculum Materials ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
International Language ◽  
Globalized World

The English language has been going through a dual process of globalization and nativization. The globalization of English renders the language into a global lingua franca and an international language, whereas the nativization of English diversifies it into varieties of English, namely, World Englishes. Such ‘glocalization’ of English has realistic implications for teaching English as an International Language (TEIL). English as an International Language (EIL) is more than a ‘language’ per se. It has increasingly been conceptualized as a framework or a paradigm, developed alongside the glocalization of English, and it is a multicultural way of thinking, doing and being. EIL recognizes English variation and varieties, and it is time to introduce EIL awareness, literacy, and competence into tertiary education. This article unpacks the assumptions and definitions of EIL, and explores the pedagogical implications of teaching EIL at a tertiary institution in Australia. In particular, this article reviews and examines an EIL unit titled ‘Exploring English as an International Language’ in terms of its curriculum, materials, and pedagogical strategies. It can be argued that TEIL is not only realistic, but also essential for university students who engage in communication in a variety of international contexts in today’s globalized world.

English language education in Indonesia: A review of research (2011–2019)

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-523
Author(s):  
Subhan Zein ◽  
Didi Sukyadi ◽  
Fuad Abdul Hamied ◽  
Nenden Sri Lengkanawati
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Complex Dynamic ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Globalized World ◽  
Practice Community

AbstractThis article reviews the significant and diverse range of research on English language education in Indonesia in the eight-year period 2011–2019. It brings together a body of research consisting of 108 sources, ranging from journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings and doctorate dissertations, to inform the international research and practice community. The contributions cover primary education, secondary education and tertiary education in highly diverse Indonesia where 707 living languages co-exist and struggle to find space in its linguistic ecology. The discussion will provide insights into how factors such as educational policies, ideologies as well as sociocultural and religious values are in contestation in shaping research into and the practice of English language education in the complex, dynamic and polycentric sociolinguistic situation of Indonesia, which has been recently conceptualized as superglossia (Zein, 2020). It is hoped our insights will help inform other multilingual contexts facing the unprecedented need for transforming English language education in this increasingly globalized world.

An understanding of ‘China English’ and the learning and use of the English language in China

English Today ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 40-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cui Xiaoxia
Keyword(s):  
World Trade ◽  
English Language ◽  
Information Age ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
International Language ◽  
Living Entity ◽  
China English ◽  
The World ◽  
Reform And Opening Up ◽  
Opening Up

Some perspectives from an English educator. Since the implementation of the policy of reform and opening up, and China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), China has been gaining strength quickly in the international, political, and economic arena. Globalization has led to China taking part in varous kinds of international cooperation and exchange. At the same time, globalization and the Internet have been providing a novel context in which to use English as an international language. Under such circumstances, the Chinese are using more English than ever before, and China English is being simultaneously localized and globalized. Like any other language, China English is a living entity or organism that is not only growing and progressing in the ‘Information Age’, but is also making a contribution that is enriching and developing world Englishes at large. Indeed, China English now plays a significant role in increasing international understanding and cooperation within the WTO and in the whole world.

scholarly journals World Englishes or English as a Lingua Franca: Where does English in China stand?

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan (Gabriel) Fang
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Early Research ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
International Language ◽  
Global Language ◽  
Pedagogical Research ◽  
Future Status

As the English language spreads and functions as an international language, scholars have been investigating some of the ideological issues behind the function and use of English in various contexts, and have pondered the future status of this global language. From early research of World Englishes (WE) the legitimacy of post-colonial Englishes, or ‘New Englishes’, as they have been termed, has emerged in scholars’ discussions (Platt, Weber & Ho, 1984; Kachru, 1985, 1992). Some have argued that the research on WE envisages the varieties of English in the outer circle contexts, such as the varieties of English spoken in Singapore, Nigeria, and India, and that people have used those varieties of English to exhibit their own identities (Kachru, 1992; Kachru & Nelson, 2006). Therefore, WE has created ‘new paradigms and perspectives for linguistic and pedagogical research and for understanding the linguistic creativity in multilingual situations across cultures’ (Kachru, 1985: 30).

scholarly journals THE PROCESS APPROACH TO THE TEACHING OF WRITING: FOCUS ON PROCESS RATHER THAN PRODUCT

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (23) ◽  
pp. 63-71
Author(s):  
Wardatul Akmam Din ◽  
Suyansah Swanto ◽  
Nur Anneliza Abd Latip ◽  
Iziana Hani Ismail
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Process Approach ◽  
Process Writing ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Intended Meaning ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
Communicative Act ◽  
Teaching Of Writing

Composition writing has always been an integral part of the English Language curriculum in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Malaysia, yet being the most difficult of the four skills in English as a Second Language; the teaching of writing has often been neglected. Process writing, as distinguished from ‘Product Writing’, is playing a large role in ESL classes. Writing is seen as a communicative act with an intended purpose and audience. The teacher and other learners help the writer find a topic and revise drafts of a written piece until it conveys the intended meaning. While working to make their meanings clear, learners are assumed to acquire competence using the style, syntax, grammar and surface features of the language. During the writing process, students engage in pre-writing, planning, drafting and post-writing activities. However, learners do not necessarily engage in these activities in that order because the writing process is recursive in nature. Language rules are taught in teacher-led- mini-lessons but always in the context of expressing the learners’ own ideas. This paper reports on a study that explores how a process-oriented approach to writing influences a group of university ESL students.

scholarly journals English as a Lingua Franca from an applied linguistics perspective: In the context of Japan

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 633-648
Author(s):  
Nobuyuki Hino
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Integrative Learning ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
International Language ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Important Argument ◽  
Pedagogical Models

For the past two decades, the concept of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has been a topic of much debate among researchers in the global use of English, including those involved in English language teaching (ELT). While in many respects ELF may be viewed just as a new name for its predecessors, such as World Englishes (WE) and English as an International Language (EIL), in other ways it also provides some fresh perspectives for the function of global Englishes. In particular, having grown chiefly out of Europe, where English has traditionally been studied as a foreign language rather than a second language, the ELF paradigm is often suited for the needs of learners of English in the Expanding Circle. With Japan as a primary example, the present paper discusses the significance of the concept of ELF and of the studies within its framework for ELT in the Expanding Circle. An important argument of this article is that studies in the early days of ELF, seeking for elements to facilitate international intelligibility, are still highly useful for ELT in the Expanding Circle. They cater especially to ELT in the Asian Expanding Circle, where pedagogical models are of crucial importance, no less than current ELF studies focusing on the fluid and translingual nature of ELF do. This paper points to the need for ELT teachers to be eclectic and integrative, learning from multiple paradigms, including ELF, WE, and EIL, while even going beyond the newness and oldness of pedagogical approaches, in order to best serve their students.

Success Factors in the Pedagogical Management of the English Language Teaching Managers

2020 ◽  
pp. 79-94
Author(s):  
Mayra Alejandra Vargas Londoño
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Research Information ◽  
International Language ◽  
The World ◽  
Globalized World

In the globalized world, the English language has become the international language, and it is used not only to communicate, but also to share research information and to connect the different countries around the world. In countries like Colombia and Mexico, there is still a low level of English language proficiency, so these countries have developed strategies to work on developing this level and at the same time develop the economy of the countries through their citizens. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the success factors in the pedagogical management of the teaching of the English language found in two language centers belonging to two higher education institutions in Colombia and Mexico.

Taking an English Language Curriculum Online

2021 ◽  
Vol PCP2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Steven Asquith ◽  
Phoebe Lyon ◽  
Kathryn Jurns
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Core Curriculum ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Equal Education ◽  
Language Communication

Whilst online courses have become ever more prevalent in the educational field in recent decades, their efficacy is still debated, especially with respect to language communication classes, which traditionally entail human interactions. Although there has been previous, limited research conducted into online learning options at the same tertiary institution (Mynard & Murphy, 2012), online courses were still far from ubiquitous in the Japanese landscape of tertiary language education curricula at the time of this study. However, adoption of online courses would allow for the expansion of current programs, enabling non-traditional students access to equal education opportunities as well as offer institutions a practical alternative to having to cancel lessons owing to unforeseen circumstances. This study investigates whether online lessons of the core curriculum classes offered at a language-focused Japanese university context, and which were based upon the regular in-class course content, offer comparable value to the regular classroom-based lessons in terms of students’ perceptions of the delivery, structure and usefulness of the lesson. By providing practical descriptions of how the traditional classroom lessons were adapted and delivered online, as well as quantitative feedback comparing the students' perceptions of the online versus classroom lessons, the paper will highlight the challenges of creating online course content, considering both instructors' and students’ viewpoints.

Can-Do descriptors – Realigning English Language Curriculum at Higher Education Institution to CEFR

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Erda Wati Bakar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
The Common ◽  
The University

The Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) has become the standard used to describe and evaluate students’ command of a second or foreign language. It is an internationally acknowledged standard language proficiency framework which many countries have adopted such as China, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan. Malaysia Ministry of Education is aware and realise the need for the current English language curriculum to be validated as to reach the international standard as prescribed by the CEFR. The implementation of CEFR has begun at primary and secondary level since 2017 and now higher education institutions are urged to align their English Language Curriculum to CEFR as part of preparation in receiving students who have been taught using CEFR-aligned curriculum at schools by year 2022. This critical reflection article elucidates the meticulous processes that we have embarked on in re-aligning our English Language Curriculum to the standard and requirements of CEFR. The paper concludes with a remark that the alignment of the English curriculum at the university needs full support from the management in ensuring that all the stakeholders are fully prepared, informed and familiar with the framework.

Education of undergraduate: Epistemic and cultural beliefs as obstacles to technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 002072092098431
Author(s):  
Fahad SS Alfallaj ◽  
Ahmed AH Al-Ma'amari ◽  
Fahad IA Aldhali
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Language Curriculum

This study aims to identify the epistemological and cultural beliefs that act as barriers in English learning by Saudi undergraduate learners. English is a compulsory component of education from the early school years in Saudi Arabia, and the Ministry of Education invests a great deal of workforce and financial resources in this sector in a concerted effort to ensure that Saudi students attain language proficiency. The study employed a mixed-method research design and was conducted with 85 undergraduate learners at Qassim University. It used a questionnaire and interviews to obtain insight into the factors that inhibit the English learning experience. Results revealed that the respondents' resistance to the learning of others' culture stems mainly from the epistemic and cultural barriers embedded in English language learning. Implications of the study will provide the basis to policymakers, educationists, institutions, and learners for contextualizing the English language curriculum of Saudi Arabia.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document