Innovation for English language teaching in higher education

Author(s):  
Carmen Burgos Videla ◽  
Javiera Martinez Diaz

This research aims to learn about the perception about didactics of professors who teach English in the study programs of Bachelor of Education and English Pedagogy, and Bachelor of English and English-Spanish Translation at the University of Atacama, Copiapo, Chile. For this, a qualitative pilot research was conducted, using the case study approach and the associative letters method for data collection, using as an inductive concept ‘didactics of the English language’. This, in order to gather information about didactics in English teaching, given through the four production and comprehension language skills: writing, reading, speaking and listening. The first findings show a lack of innovation in the field of teaching and unawareness of it. Within the data of the pilot sample, the concepts ‘skills’ and ‘methodology’ stand out as central elements in the English Language Teaching didactics. From this small pilot research, the idea of the importance of communication and methodology as key concepts to be included in the next investigation is reinforced, so that the data collection is meaningful, and a close intervention could be achieved, where the teachers reflect on the didactics used in a more comprehensive and less recursive way. Keywords: Didactics, higher education, innovation, language teaching, second foreign language.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Ahmad F. Alnwaiem ◽  
Abdullah M. Alazemi ◽  
Abdullah A. Alenezi

The beliefs of EFL teachers are an essential term perceived in a number of educational fields. Especially in teacher education and behavioural research, this term is usually related to teachers' habits and practices in classes, considering their impact on each other. The aim of this study is to add to prior studies on the subject of teachers' beliefs and to concentrate on English language teachers (ELT). The objective is to merge the theory of instructors' beliefs with Global English (GE). The research question 'what are the Kuwaiti instructors' beliefs about ELT and their awareness of Global English?' formalizes these aims. To accomplish the research: To discover teachers' beliefs about ELT and their awareness of Global English. This research concentrates on English language teachers at the university level. The collection of data has been conducted over two months. For data collection and interpretation, this study adopted a qualitative research methodology. Surveys were chosen as the instrument for data collection. The study used qualitative content analysis in relation to the data analysis method. Moreover, the findings were evaluated based on a deductive and inductive approach to qualitative data analysis. Results indicated various kinds of teachers' beliefs about ELT. Including views about the English language, ELT in relation to the standards, ELT with regard to the GE context. English-language beliefs played a central role in shaping two other views, which were considered secondary beliefs. Except for the content of teachers' beliefs, the study's findings have shown two significant categories of influences: internal and external, that affect the development and application of teachers' beliefs in classrooms. In this study, the internal factor referred mainly to English-language teaching beliefs based on its ability to influence other cognitive constructs (i.e., different convictions, behaviours, sensitivity) and teaching practices. As far as external factors are concerned, the teachers' diverse experiences with individuals (e.g., parents and retired teachers) and administrative legislation (e.g., policy and curriculum) are the main factors. Finally, it was possible to conclude the findings of this analysis in the same manner as previous studies, which combined teacher cognition theory with the field of GE. In other words, teacher beliefs play a crucial part in the teacher's cognitive system as a decisive role in their teaching practice. This study proposes further research to reinforce the results of contemporary research in this area.


PRASI ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. M. Sumarningsih ◽  
G. Batan ◽  
L. D. S. Adnyani

This study was conducted as an attempt to investigate in what step of scientific approach theteachers most frequently use translation in English Language Teaching as well as to find out the teachers’reasons toward the use of translation in English Language Teaching based on scientific approach atSMP Negeri 4 Singaraja and SMP Negeri 5 Singaraja. It was conducted in qualitative research design.There were two teachers chosen as the subjects of study. The data were collected through audio recordingthe teaching and learning process and interviewing the subjects of study, while the techniques ofanalyzing data were done descriptively following the four processes according to the theory of Miles &Huberman (1984), namely: data collection, data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. Theresults of analysis indicated that the teachers most frequently used translation in exploring step of scientificapproach. In addition, there were seven teachers’ reasons found in relation to the use of translationin the classroom, namely to help the students’ difficulty in: (1) understanding the instruction given bythe teacher, (2) understanding the English vocabulary, (3) asking something in English, (4) understandingthe tenses or grammar, (5) understanding the material deeply, (6) doing the task, and (7) presentingtheir work. The related parties interested in the same area of the research should give deeper concern indoing wider range of aspects involved in further study.Keywords : Translation, the Use of L1 in ELT, Scientific Approach


2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110609
Author(s):  
Kim Murray ◽  
José Reis-Jorge ◽  
Julie-Anne Regan

Research in language learning indicates that process drama (PD), an educational approach where students and teachers work in and out of role to explore themes and issues, can be well suited to the Japanese higher education (HE) context. Despite the benefits highlighted in the literature, PD remains a niche approach to language teaching and learning, with a limited number of practitioners in Japan. This study seeks to uncover language teachers’ experiences of becoming Process Drama Practitioners (PDPs) and using and sharing PD as an English language teaching approach in Japanese HE. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with six experienced PDPs. The findings indicate that prior positive experiences with drama was an encouraging factor of the adoption and self-directed initial use of PD in their teaching practices. Positive student outcomes and feedback were primary motivators for continued use of PD. Experiences of sharing PD led to a perceived need to distinguish PD from theatre-based approaches and establish connections to familiar approaches to language teaching.


Author(s):  
Hamza R'boul ◽  
M Camino Bueno-Alastuey

Teaching English in higher education entails additional factors and considerations that exemplify the complexity of accounting for the diverse population in modern higher education institutions. In particular, the increasing flow of international students and the employment demands of functioning in multicultural contexts render helping students to develop a critical understating of intercultural relations an important aspect of English language teaching. With the increasing adoption of English as a medium of instruction and its use as a lingua franca in intercultural communication, it is important to structure English education in a way that accounts for intercultural relations both in and outside the university. In addition to the postmodern conceptualizations of interculturality that emphasize the fluidity of culture, language and identity intercultural relations are characterized by power imbalances. That is why this chapter makes a case for the necessity of considering sociopolitical realities in intercultural English language teaching in higher education.


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