scholarly journals Building Academic Support in Preservice Teacher Education Using Peer Tutors: An Educational Action Research Project

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Petersen ◽  
Vanessa Rademeyer ◽  
Sarita Ramsaroop
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
English Language ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Academic Support ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Peer Tutors ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Shared Object

In this paper, the authors report on the process of designing and implementing an academic support programme using peer tutors at a newly established rural university. The need for support for the development of first-year preservice student teachers' English language academic proficiency motivated the programme. In educational action research mode, the authors tracked changes and improvements to the programme and its implementation over a four-year period. Data in the form of questionnaires, interviews, video recorded lessons, and observations were generated in four cycles to inform reflections and new actions. The data were analysed using procedures associated with content analysis, and interpreted through the lens of cultural historical activity theory. The results show that competing tensions and a lack of focus on a shared object initially led to a delay in building shared knowledge in the beginning of the project. The authors interpret the results from a CHAT perspective and show the value of these tensions for identifying levers of change in a developmental process in the project. In this respect, the missteps of the researchers led to multiple iterations of reflection and action in order to arrive at a shared object, while defining the legitimacy of mediating tools, organisation of division of labour, and effective rules in a higher education programme.

scholarly journals Effects of Digital Short Stories on the Development of Listening Skills: An Action Research

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 65-84
Author(s):  
Zeynep Çetin Köroğlu
Keyword(s):  
Short Stories ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Listening Skills

Literary texts can be used to improve language learners' skills such as reading, writing, speaking and listening because these texts contain rich vocabulary, complex grammar structures, interesting plot and most importantly imagination of the author. However, using literature for language teaching purposes is a controversial issue among scholars. While some researchers think positively, others have negative views on the subject. Learners' needs and way of using literary texts are the main concerns of literature use in language pedagogy. In this context, the present research aimed to find out whether digital short stories can improve language learners' listening skills. The purpose of this study was to figure out student teachers' perceptions of digital short stories’ implementation into language classrooms. Specifically, the current research aimed to investigate whether digital short stories are useful to develop language learners' listening skills in English. The research is action research in design. The study used pre-test and post-test, a written structured interview to collect data and it included both quantitative and qualitative components. The interview consisted of six open-ended questions. Achievement tests and t-test were used to analyze quantitative data. On the other hand, content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The data were collected in 2016-2017 academic years, Bayburt University. Participants were prep class students of English language teaching department of Bayburt University. In the treatment process, digital short stories were used for eight weeks, which were written by various famous American authors and voice recorded by various American natives. Additionally, weekly worksheets and handouts were prepared by the researcher. Results showed that digital short stories provide satisfactory content, supports vocabulary learning, improves language learners’ listening skills, helps participants to gain familiarity with complex grammar structures and makes students more familiar with different cultures. Furthermore, participants are satisfied with digital short stories and they think these digital stories are useful to improve their listening skills.

The challenges of participation in doing community-based participatory action research: Lessons from the Kwithu Project

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalis G Wamba
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Running Water

The Kwithu project started when a volunteer who joined Kwithu, a community-based organization in Mzuzu, Malawi (Africa), to teach English gave a diagnostic test to a random group of forty 7th and 8th graders (20 boys and 20 girls) and discovered that most of them could hardly read or write in English. The test results prompted Maureen, the Kwithu director and co-founder, the teacher and myself to meet with the headteachers of the three schools mostly attended by Kwithu children. The headteachers appreciated our concerns about the English proficiency of the children, but they advised us to focus on more urgent matters if we truly wanted to help, e.g., lack of teaching and learning materials, lack of running water in schools, hunger, teacher qualifications, etc. This advice shifted our initial inquiry goal—from English language teaching—to a community-based participatory action research project designed to address the school conditions in Luwinga. In this paper, I describe the community-based participatory action research inquiry and I reflect on the process of participation.

What does it mean to be an English teacher in Brazil? Student teachers’ beliefs through narratives in a distance education programme

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 273-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Costa Ribas ◽  
Cristiane Manzan Perine
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Visual Narratives ◽  
British Council ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis paper aims to investigate the beliefs of student teachers on a distance teacher education course about being an English teacher in Brazil. The theoretical framework of this paper is based on studies about beliefs in language teaching and learning (Barcelos and Kalaja 2011. Introduction to beliefs about SLA revisited. System 39(3). 281–289), and distant teacher education (Borg et al. 2014. The impact of teacher education on pre-service primary English language teachers. London: British Council). Data were collected in a supervised teaching practicum course in an English Language and Literature Distance Programme provided by a federal public university in Brazil. The data stem from visual narratives and meta-narratives posted on two online discussion forums. It is expected that the results of this study will contribute to advancing research on the use of visual materials in the investigation of beliefs, and that they will foster the debate on the contributions of visual narratives to teachers’ reflections, particularly in distance teacher education settings.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Problems in Language Teachers’ Action Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ligang Han
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

In-service language teachers’ professional development is a crucial factor that influences the teaching and learning effectiveness. Educational action research is considered by many researchers and scholars as an effective way or approach for language teachers’ professional development. This article reports a case study of in-service English language teachers doing action research within a collaborative action research project. The focus of the case study is upon investigating the problems and difficulties that English language teachers encounter in doing action research and some solutions to the problems are provided. This research sheds light on the practice and application of educational action research.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING ON LEARNERS� WRITING SKILLS

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Luz Elena Madera Gonzalez ◽  
Margarita Maria Lopez Pinzon
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Writing Strategies ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
National Education ◽  
Evaluation Stage ◽  
The Impact

This article gives an account of an action research project aimed at determining the effect of Task-Based Language Teaching and various writing strategies on public school learners� writing skills. The study implicated a diagnostic stage, an action stage and an evaluation stage within an Action Research methodology. Initially, at the diagnostic stage, it was detected that the participants had to improve their writing production and reach the levels of competence established by the Common European Framework (CEFR) and The Ministry of National Education (MEN) guidelines. In the following developed phase, six workshops were designed within the framework for Task-Based Learning (Willis & Willis, 2007), including pre-task, task, planning, report, and language focus. Along with this, various writing strategies were used, including brainstorming, listing, questioning, reading pictures, and classifying words. Finally, the evaluation stage revealed that students achieved better results in written production; they increased their vocabulary, reduced the amount of grammar errors, improved the syntax of the language, and became more autonomous and responsible. Basides, students� confidence in the writing processes also improved. Findings reported that the use of TBLT improved the students� writing skills. Conclusions and pedagogical implications are presented for teachers, schools and policy makers to incorporate TBLT and writing strategies in the future curriculum development as a means to contribute to the English language methodology.

scholarly journals Zastosowanie bloga we wspieraniu refleksji studenckiej podczas praktyk pedagogicznych

Neofilolog ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 253-265
Author(s):  
Joanna Pitura
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Student Reflection ◽  
Pilot Implementation ◽  
State Schools ◽  
Individual Professional

The article concerns pre-service English language teacher training and discusses some results of an on-going action research project, the aim of which is to investigate a way of supporting student reflection while they do obligatory teaching practice in Polish state schools. The paper presents the design of the “Develop by Blogging” intervention, as well as its pilot implementation. Preliminary findings suggest that the intervention has the potential to create time and space for reflection on individual professional experience and can constitute a chance for enhancing reflection among pre-service teachers.

scholarly journals ACTION RESEARCH IN LANGUAGE AREA: Preparing English Language Teachers as Researchers

ELT-Lectura ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Sayedama W. Sayedama
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Reflective Practitioners ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Language Area ◽  
Giving Feedback

Action research is useful not only in preparing future teachers but for all teachers to continue togrow and develop as reflective practitioners. This article presents an overview of the components of actionresearch (selecting an issue, refining the research question, and undertaking data collection, analyzing multipleforms of data, developing and implementing new instructional strategies, and making the research findingspublic). An example of an action research project on giving feedback on student writing is used to illuminatethese steps.

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