Blended learning: Barriers and drawbacks for English language lecturers at Vietnamese universities

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110482
Author(s):  
Thi Nguyet Le ◽  
Bill Allen ◽  
Nicola F Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Learning Barriers ◽  
Teaching Time

Although blended learning (BL) has emerged as one of the most dominant delivery modes in higher education in the 21st century, there are notable barriers and drawbacks in using BL for English language teaching and learning in Vietnamese universities. This study reports on research into the use of BL, conducted through semi-structured interviews with 30 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturers from 10 different universities across the two major cities of Vietnam. The findings revealed that EFL lecturers identified eight groups of barriers and four groups of drawbacks to the successful implementation of BL. The most significant barriers included: lack of infrastructure and technology, institutional policies and support; lack of knowledge, experience and investment in using BL; lack of technological competence and information technology (IT) skills and lack of teaching time to employ web-based technologies and online resources in classrooms. Meanwhile, the most crucial drawbacks were: lecturers’ workload, ineffective use of BL, time consumption and demotivation. The authors point to the underlying factors contributing to these barriers and drawbacks and make implications for how some of these can be effectively addressed through constructive changes to policy and practice.

scholarly journals Blended Learning Mobility Approach and English Language Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Mazen Ismaeel Ghareb ◽  
Saman Ali Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
The University

Although the benefits of blended learning have been well documented in educational research, relatively few studies have examined blended mobilities in education in Kurdistan region government and in Iraq. This study discusses a blended mobility approach for a teacher training program designed for in-service English language teachers (ELT) and investigates its effectiveness by comparing the latest participation of the University of Human Development for computer science and proposing the same program for training English for lecturers and students. The research involved proposes new mobility program for teaching and learning English language and using their language skills in an ongoing business project using several software for communication and management of their projects. Results will show the framework for new blended learning and blended mobilities of many different English language teaching (ELT) aspects.

scholarly journals Norwegian in-service teachers’ perspectives on language corpora in teaching English

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-106
Author(s):  
Barry Kavanagh
Keyword(s):  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Further Education ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learner Corpus

This study aims to explore potential reasons why the use of the tools and methods of corpus linguistics are not prevalent in English teaching in Norway, using the research question What do in-service English teachers in Norway find useful about corpora and what do they find challenging? The study provides interview data from in-service teachers, contributing to our understanding of the in-service perspective on corpora. The research design consists of teaching corpus use in seminars for in-service English teachers (featuring LancsLex, the concordancer AntConc and the OANC), integrated into a language course that is part of a further education programme, and semi-structured interviews with four of the students who took the course, during which they also interacted with Netspeak, SKELL and COCA. As with previous research, the in-service teachers found corpora particularly useful for teaching and learning vocabulary, and found challenges to use which are categorized here as usability (criticism of AntConc), IT challenges (a lack of IT skills among teachers), learner-corpus interaction challenges (the complexity of software and concordance lines for pupils; pupil uninterest in language), and lack of teacher need (mistakes being “obvious” to teachers in the lower years). The article discusses some implications of these findings. Keywords: English language teaching, pedagogical corpus application, corpora           

scholarly journals Foreign Language Teaching and Development of Language skills :A Pakistani Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Syeda Naureen Mumtaz ◽  
◽  
Dr.Uzma Quraishi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
English As Foreign Language

The study was attempted to explore as to what extent English language teaching in Pakistan has been able to develop language skills among the target learners. The researcher intended to evaluate the limit to which the textbook helps in generating competence of all four integrated skills, especially as laid down in the standards of the National Curriculum (2006). The purpose of this study was to create pragmatic awareness among learners, teachers and educational professionals, working in the field of English as Foreign Language. By method , it was a qualitative study, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were the tools used to elicit the data. The participants of this research were selected from public sector schools and organizations including, teachers, policymakers, curriculum developers, subject specialists, and students to examine the effectiveness of grade VIII’s English language textbook on students’ performance . For data analysis themes were developed, coded and summarized in a descriptive mode. The findings of this study reflected that the relevant textbook does not cater to the target learners’ future academic and professional language needs. As a solution to the problems while teaching and learning English as foreign language in Pakistan; this study also offered a model to be followed by the policy makers and practitioners in order to make the existing English language textbook more effectives in terms of foreign language teaching and learning and language skill development.

scholarly journals Teaching English as a Second Language in Vietnam: Transitioning from the Traditional Learning Approach to the Blended Learning Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 124 ◽  
pp. 01003
Author(s):  
Ho Thi Thao Nguyen ◽  
Subarna Sivapalan ◽  
Pham Hung Hiep ◽  
Pham Thi Van Anh ◽  
Nguyen Thi Mai Lan
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Class Time

Although blended learning (BL) has been utilized in English language teaching globally for the past few decades, it is a new phenomenon in the Vietnamese context. Little research has been done to simultaneously investigate how students and lecturers perceive blended learning implementation for English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning in Vietnam, particularly within the higher education context. This study thus aims to investigate lecturers’ and students’ perspectives on BL implementation in an English Fundamentals course at a polytechnic in Hanoi, Vietnam. Data was collected via an online survey of 1500 non-English majors in the Fall 2019 semester and via interviews with 5 full-time EFL lecturers. The findings revealed that lecturers and students had positive perceptions of BL. For lecturers, the implementation of BL impacted their teaching approach and shifted the teaching of grammar and vocabulary from face-to-face to self-studying grammar and vocabulary using online lessons, devoting more in-class time to practicing speaking. Students meanwhile revealed that BL helped them develop self-autonomy of learning.

scholarly journals Investigating the Implementation of Higher Order Thinking Skills in Malaysian Classrooms: Insights from L2 Teaching Practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azian Abdul Aziz @Ahmad ◽  
Fauziah Ismail ◽  
Noor Mala Ibrahim ◽  
Norhanim Abdul Samat
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Higher Order Thinking ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Higher Order Thinking Skills ◽  
Language Classrooms

In preparing for the 21st century workforce, many education systems have integrated creative and critical thinking elements in the teaching and learning process by instilling higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in students. This research examines English language (L2) teachers’ awareness and practices in promoting HOTS in the English Language classrooms in Malaysia. Data were collected from practicing L2 teachers through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and structured observations. Findings of this research suggest that implementation of HOTS in the L2 classroom is very minimal and hindered by various factors, particularly those related to student, pedagogical and institutional factors. This implies the need for a more holistic and integrated approach involving L2 teachers, students and administrators in ensuring the successful implementation of HOTS in the L2 classrooms. 

scholarly journals A Survey of Issues, Practices and Views Related to Corpus-based Word Lists for English Language Teaching and Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Paul Thompson ◽  
Sarah Nasser Alzeer
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Word List ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Word Lists ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Language Teaching And Learning

Word lists have been recognized as a valuable pedagogical resource that can be used by language teachers and learners, materials developers and syllabus designers to identify vocabulary that needs attention. The increase in the accessibility of electronic corpora and the recent advances in corpus software tools has led to a proliferation of various types of corpus-based word lists informed by frequency counts, in some cases combined with other measures. However, there is a lack of research into how word lists are used in real pedagogical contexts. This exploratory study explores current practices and views related to the exploitation, construction, and evaluation of corpus-based word lists for English language teaching and learning purposes. The survey results indicate that word lists are used for a variety of purposes and in different settings, and that the context and goals for use of the word list should determine the nature of the list. Furthermore, while word lists are thought to be useful, several factors need to be considered to ensure successful implementation of lists into pedagogical contexts. Finally, the survey captured misuses and misconceptions of word lists that practitioners need to be aware of.

Mobile Technologies Course Design

2020 ◽  
pp. 232-256
Author(s):  
Ozlem Zengin
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ict Skills ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Study Participants

Mobile learning has the potential to increase the opportunities to make teaching and learning available beyond the traditional classroom. The main aim of this study was to develop a mobile technologies course delivered online and explore the effects of this online course designed on mobile technologies on the use of ICT skills, attitudes, and views of EFL instructors. While employing mixed methodology, explanatory sequential research design was applied. In this study, participants were selected through convenient sampling and the data were collated through a questionnaire used as pre- and post-tests, followed by semi-structured interviews and class observations. The results of this study indicated that the online training course on mobile technologies had a positive impact on the use of ICT skills and EFL teachers' views in general. Further, attending the mobile technologies course delivered online was very beneficial and effective for the instructors in that it helped them to develop their skills on the use of mobile technologies in English language teaching.

scholarly journals Exploring the Role of Training in Promoting Students’ Peer-Feedback Including Critical Peer-Feedback

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Kaya ◽  
Zeynep Yaprak
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Critical Feedback

The question of how critical-thinking skills could be integrated into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pedagogy has been one of the main concerns in the field of language teaching and learning as they have a great potential to increase the quality of learning and teaching. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether training based on peer feedback, including critical feedback, contributes to participants’ peer feedback and critical feedback performances. The participants, who were undergraduate English Language Teaching (ELT) students (n = 40), were exposed to an 8-week training program in which several feedback criteria, including critical ones, were introduced to them. Data obtained from the participants’ pre-test and post-test peer feedback performances and semi-structured interviews were analyzed by using SPSS and content analysis, respectively. The results revealed that the training improved performance in providing peer feedback, including critical peer feedback. Finally, learners reported satisfaction with the training program, although some challenges were encountered in the process.

scholarly journals English language assessment in Malaysia: Teachers’ practices in test preparation

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Looi Chin Ch'ng
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Classroom Teaching ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Assessment Guidelines ◽  
English Language Teachers

In the context of English language teaching, many studies that claimed to investigate teachers’ assessment practices were actually exploring their perceptions and belief with little reference to what they were practising in schools. The need to address such a limitation has prompted this study to examine the current formal assessment practices of English language teachers in lower secondary schools. Specifically, this paper reports how the teachers prepare the formal assessments. Extensive structured interviews were conducted with 72 teachers from 24 schools in Kuching division, Sarawak. Relevant documents such as test papers and assessment guidelines were also collected for further analysis. The findings from this study revealed that a majority of the teachers conducted formal assessments mainly due to the requirements of the school and ministry while following pre-determined steps in preparing a test. Furthermore, the findings also revealed teachers’ reliance on commercial reference books in constructing exam questions and sample answers. The outcome of the study provides an insight on the nature of English language teachers’ assessment practices in relation to the classroom teaching and learning at the secondary level.This could help inform the Ministry of Education in providing necessary support for the teachers particularly assessment practices in ESL context as well as in formulating a better assessment policy for schools.

scholarly journals Technology in ELT: Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perception towards Using Fotobabble in English Classes

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 25-30
Author(s):  
Hamid Ashraf ◽  
Bahman Kazemi ◽  
Sara Kazemi
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Effective Teaching And Learning

Teaching with technology has gained attention around the globe and internet use has become an integral part of teaching. Web- based tools are used in language classes to enhance interaction among learners and increase learning and teaching opportunity. Thus, the aims of this study are to introduce fotobabble which is a web tool that can be used in English language classes for teaching purposes, and to know the Iranian EFL teachers’ perception towards it. To collect data, 30 EFL teachers teaching at schools and private English institutes were randomly selected and their attitudes and opinions were investigated through semi- structured interviews. The participants were sent via telegram and e- mail an informative text about fotobabble and then were asked to talk about their opinions about its benefits and merits in language classes. The collected qualitative data was analyzed by means of content analysis and it was revealed that the majority of Iranian EFL teachers had a positive attitude towards the use of this web- based tool in their classes; however, a few number of teachers shared their concerns about its application in English classes. It is believed that studies about technology use in classes can help increase effective teaching and learning.

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