scholarly journals Investigating Iranian English Language Teachers’ Practices and Perceptions of Vocabulary Teaching

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Sara Mirzaie ◽  
Fatemeh Hemmati ◽  
Mohammad Aghajanzadeh Kiasi
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Private Language ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Language Schools ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Stimulated Recall Interviews

This study aimed at exploring English language teachers’ practices and perceptions of vocabulary teaching in Iranian private language schools. Using a qualitative research design, four competent language teachers were purposefully selected and their perceptions of vocabulary teaching were investigated from several dimensions. Three qualitative data gathering techniques including interviews, classroom observation, and stimulated recall interviews were utilized to have a thorough understanding of the participants’ practices and perceptions about vocabulary instruction. Findings revealed that although EFL teachers possessed sufficient knowledge and perspectives with respect to vocabulary teaching strategies, such stated declarative knowledge did not serve the full purposes of vocabulary teaching. Participants typically utilized decontextualized strategies more extensively than contextualized ones in their actual practices indicating that their tendencies are somehow towards traditional approaches in teaching vocabulary. In other words, teachers’ instructional practices did not capture all their stated beliefs. Furthermore, it was found that the implemented policies in English language schools which are greatly towards time economization might be a liable reason cheering teachers to deviate from their real beliefs. Finally, contributing to developmental aspects of language teaching, findings of this particular study possess several implications both for teacher education institutions and stakeholders in private language schools in Iran and other similar contexts.

Teachers as slaves or masters to their coursebooks: An in-depth study on two English language teachers’ coursebook utilization

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110362
Author(s):  
Stefan Rathert ◽  
Neşe Cabaroğlu
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Program Planning ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Institutional Constraints ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
English Language Teachers

Addressing an underappreciated research area, this study reports on how two English language teachers in a Turkish tertiary education context use a global coursebook. At the beginning of the study, a metaphor elicitation task and pre-study interviews were employed to detect the teachers’ coursebook conceptualizations. Then, a total of 12 lessons were video-recorded and adaptations were identified using a research-informed framework developed for this study. The participants examined and evaluated their own practices in stimulated recall sessions, reflective conversations and journal writing. The study was concluded with post-study interviews. Data revealed that the teachers’ instructional practice was driven by the coursebook to a large extent as they stuck to minor adaptations and followed the guidance given by the coursebook. Along with the institutional constraints, the teachers’ practices were influenced by their own personal preferences, attempts to make coursebook tasks accessible to learners, lack of planning and the highly structured delivery of tasks in the coursebook. However, pedagogic considerations were not foregrounded by the teachers. The results of the study call for professional teacher development on coursebook utilization, coursebook-based instead of coursebook-led program planning alongside redesign of coursebooks as resources rather than instructions.

scholarly journals Scaffolding Reading Comprehension Skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf Atta Mohamed Safein Salem
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Scaffolding Strategies ◽  
Reading Comprehension Skills

The current study investigates whether English language teachers use scaffolding strategies for developing their students’ reading comprehension skills or just for assessing their comprehension. It also tries to demonstrate whether teachers are aware of these strategies or they use them as a matter of habit. A questionnaire as well as structured interviews were basically designed for the purpose of the study. The descriptive qualitative research design was adopted due to suitability for the nature of the study. Results of the study revealed that Non-native English language teachers are not aware of the nature of scaffolding strategies they use; they use such strategies for the purpose of assessing their students’ comprehension rather than scaffolding their comprehension. It is recommended that English language teachers have an adequate orientation of the nature of scaffolding strategies, to what extent to be used (when to begin using these strategies and when to stop using them) and the significance in developing comprehension skills of students in the mainstream schools.

scholarly journals Linguistic intelligence enhancement at basic level learners in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 94-103
Author(s):  
Sakun Kumar Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Design ◽  
English Language ◽  
Community Schools ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Basic Level ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

This paper explores English language teachers' strategies to enhance linguistic intelligence of students studying at basic level in community schools in Nepal employing a qualitative research design. It aims to describe different techniques employed by English language teachers to develop students' linguistic intelligence. The research participants were English language teachers teaching in community schools in Kathmandu and interviewed by using a semi-structured questionnaire to gather data to fulfil its purpose. The findings reveal that awakening students is an essential tool for enhancing linguistic intelligence along with meaningful exposure and atomistic learning provide opportunities for enhancement of linguistic intelligence at basic level.

scholarly journals Identity Performance and Negotiation of Multilingual English Language Teachers in New Zealand - A Multiple Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Polpiti Acharige Apsara Kalpanie Wimalasiri
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Teacher Identities ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Interactional Functions

<p><b>Identity is constituted in and through language (Norton, 2005) demonstrating social, political and cultural ideologies of individual selves in interaction. Exploring identities of individuals as language users, learners and teachers allows linguistic and applied linguistic researchers to disclose meanings behind complex language related behaviours. This supports insights for the development of language education. </b></p> <p>In the current study, I explore identity performance and identity negotiation of multilingual English language teachers (MELTs) in New Zealand (NZ). I define MELTs as English language teachers who speak any other language(s) in addition to English. Exploring how MELTs perform and negotiate their identities in NZ is important due to several factors. First, people in society have various ideological assumptions regarding multilingual teachers involved in teaching English in an English speaking country; therefore, MELTs are required to negotiate their linguistic and social identities to suit the expectations of the institutions and students they serve. Secondly, there is no known study in NZ focused on MELT identities, even though the population of NZ is diverse, comprised of multilingual communities. Thirdly, revealing identity negotiation of MELTs supports language teacher educators to understand language teacher identities with regard to classroom realities. This provides insights to develop language teacher education programmes accordingly. </p> <p>I employed four different research methods: semi-structured narrative interviews, identity portraits and classroom observations followed by stimulated recall sessions to explore how MELTs perform negotiated identities in the classroom (RQ 1) and what ideological and interactional functions are served when they perform negotiated identities (RQ 2). Data from narrative interviews provided insights to understand teacher identities revealed through their biographies and classroom stories. In addition, teachers’ narratives revealed how teacher identities are constructed and positioned while being negotiated in their stories. Identity portraits and the recorded interactions provided insights to understand how teachers make semiotic links to various linguistic and social identities they perform as English language teachers, providing various indexical meanings to those identities. I observed how teachers perform negotiated identities in interaction with students through classroom observations. I also conducted stimulated recall sessions to investigate teacher responses for classroom scenarios. Triangulated data from all the sources generated themes answering the two research questions.</p> <p>The findings of the study show that MELTs perform multiple negotiated identities in interaction with students and myself with reference to the micro and macro social contexts in which they are situated. MELTs also demonstrate positive and negative identity practices in the classroom based on their English language and English language teaching ideologies. Furthermore, MELTs’ identity performances were observed to serve various ideological and interactional functions in the classroom. For instance, their negotiated identities support them practicing either monolingual or multilingual friendly language teaching. Moreover, some MELTs employ their negotiated linguistic identities to translanguage in the classroom, catering to the language needs of multilingual students. They also negotiate their teacher identities based on contextual factors. Thus, the findings of my study support language teacher educators, researchers and administrators to understand the contribution of MELTs towards English language education in New Zealand.</p>

scholarly journals Conceptualizations of English in the discourses of Brazilian language teachers: Issues of mobility, empowerment and international ownership

English Today ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-37
Author(s):  
Eduardo H. Diniz de Figueiredo
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
The Media ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Language Schools

The present study is an investigation of how English has been conceptualized in the discourses of ten Brazilian English language teachers with diverse language teaching experiences. Discourses of major agents in Brazilian English language teaching (ELT) – mainly the media, language schools, and the Ministry of Education through its national guidelines – usually associate English with notions of mobility, empowerment, and international ownership. The understanding of how English language educators conceptualize the language thus provides a valuable perspective on how these discourses may be taken on and reproduced by teachers. Such understanding is also relevant because educators have first hand experience in what actually goes on inside schools, thus being able to provide important accounts that are based on real life examples of their practices.

scholarly journals Translanguaging in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 170-178
Author(s):  
Tanka Silwal
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Education ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
English Language Teachers

Teachers’ pedagogical practices have vital role to cater the students’ achievement in education in general and in language (here English) education in particular. This study aims to explore English language teachers’ pedagogical practices with special reference to translanguaging. I employed qualitative research design for the study. The participants of the study were four community college teachers and six students of Dhading district. For the collection of the data, I observed four classes of each teacher; interviewed with the same teachers; and organized focus group discussion with the students. The findings were discussed under eight headings thematically. The conclusion of findings indicates that translanguaging can be a useful pedagogy even in the higher education. Hence, it has been recommended that the English language practitioners can conduct large scale studies on the relevance of translanguagins in higher education.

scholarly journals Curriculum-Making and Development in a Pakistani University

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said Imran ◽  
Mark Wyatt
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teacher Engagement ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Curriculum Making ◽  
Curriculum Renewal

Despite frequent calls for increased teacher engagement in curriculum-making and development, there are still many English language teachers worldwide who are required to work with materials that are either culturally inappropriate or inadequate. A related concern is that such materials may deprive teachers of their creative and professional capabilities to address students’ needs and interests, so that, weighed down by contextual challenges, the teachers then simply deliver the materials, adhering to the textbook closely. Contextual challenges faced by teachers may be more acute in the developing world. However, it is unclear to what extent teachers in under-resourced contexts cope. In this qualitative case study, we explore approaches to the curriculum (curriculum-making, development or transmission) adopted by three English language teachers at a Pakistani university; we draw on observations, pre-observation interviews and stimulated recall discussions. Our study highlights considerable differences in the teachers’ approaches and explores reasons for these differences, including the beneficial effects of experience and professional development opportunities. Implications include the need for greater professional development opportunities in an under-resourced context such as this, as well as mentoring and curriculum renewal involving teachers.

scholarly journals Identity Performance and Negotiation of Multilingual English Language Teachers in New Zealand - A Multiple Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Polpiti Acharige Apsara Kalpanie Wimalasiri
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Teacher Identities ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Interactional Functions

<p><b>Identity is constituted in and through language (Norton, 2005) demonstrating social, political and cultural ideologies of individual selves in interaction. Exploring identities of individuals as language users, learners and teachers allows linguistic and applied linguistic researchers to disclose meanings behind complex language related behaviours. This supports insights for the development of language education. </b></p> <p>In the current study, I explore identity performance and identity negotiation of multilingual English language teachers (MELTs) in New Zealand (NZ). I define MELTs as English language teachers who speak any other language(s) in addition to English. Exploring how MELTs perform and negotiate their identities in NZ is important due to several factors. First, people in society have various ideological assumptions regarding multilingual teachers involved in teaching English in an English speaking country; therefore, MELTs are required to negotiate their linguistic and social identities to suit the expectations of the institutions and students they serve. Secondly, there is no known study in NZ focused on MELT identities, even though the population of NZ is diverse, comprised of multilingual communities. Thirdly, revealing identity negotiation of MELTs supports language teacher educators to understand language teacher identities with regard to classroom realities. This provides insights to develop language teacher education programmes accordingly. </p> <p>I employed four different research methods: semi-structured narrative interviews, identity portraits and classroom observations followed by stimulated recall sessions to explore how MELTs perform negotiated identities in the classroom (RQ 1) and what ideological and interactional functions are served when they perform negotiated identities (RQ 2). Data from narrative interviews provided insights to understand teacher identities revealed through their biographies and classroom stories. In addition, teachers’ narratives revealed how teacher identities are constructed and positioned while being negotiated in their stories. Identity portraits and the recorded interactions provided insights to understand how teachers make semiotic links to various linguistic and social identities they perform as English language teachers, providing various indexical meanings to those identities. I observed how teachers perform negotiated identities in interaction with students through classroom observations. I also conducted stimulated recall sessions to investigate teacher responses for classroom scenarios. Triangulated data from all the sources generated themes answering the two research questions.</p> <p>The findings of the study show that MELTs perform multiple negotiated identities in interaction with students and myself with reference to the micro and macro social contexts in which they are situated. MELTs also demonstrate positive and negative identity practices in the classroom based on their English language and English language teaching ideologies. Furthermore, MELTs’ identity performances were observed to serve various ideological and interactional functions in the classroom. For instance, their negotiated identities support them practicing either monolingual or multilingual friendly language teaching. Moreover, some MELTs employ their negotiated linguistic identities to translanguage in the classroom, catering to the language needs of multilingual students. They also negotiate their teacher identities based on contextual factors. Thus, the findings of my study support language teacher educators, researchers and administrators to understand the contribution of MELTs towards English language education in New Zealand.</p>

scholarly journals A Critical Analysis of English Language Teaching Situation in Nepal

2021 ◽  
pp. 14-26
Author(s):  
Binod Neupane
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Inadequate Knowledge ◽  
Textbook Writing ◽  
English Language Teachers

Critical pedagogy (CP) is an educational movement that primarily aims to support the students in developing a consciousness of freedom so that they can connect the knowledge to power for social reformation. The supporters of CP argue that language teachers should emphasise developing the social skills of the learners along with language skills. Studies show that many English language teachers may have inadequate knowledge and skills about CP and the spirit of CP may not be followed while designing curriculum and writing textbooks. The purpose of the study was to examine the use of CP in English Language Teaching (ELT) focusing on classroom practices, curriculum designing and textbook writing at the secondary level. For this, I used a qualitative research design in which data were collected from six English teachers through in-depth interviews from three schools. I investigated that while designing curriculum, selecting textbooks, and making ELT policy, CP has not been practically implemented. Language policy, curriculum and textbooks are designed by a specific group and imposed on the teachers and learners. There has been a political influence in ELT policy as well. However, some teachers were found positive to CP and implemented it in the classroom, but they demanded special training.  

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