scholarly journals Context in English Language Teaching Program: Differentiating between Iranian Public Schools and Private Institutes

Author(s):  
Hooshang Khoshsima ◽  
Seyyed Morteza Hashemi Toroujeni

For some years, there was a debate about the effectiveness of public and private sectors in language learning field, not only in Iran but also in USA and Europe. Actually, a context in which language learners are provided with friendly communicative environment is a great help to learn how to use the language communicatively in authentic situations. Therefore, a context in which the efficient factors are employed more appropriately enables EFL learners to emphasize the communicative use of language in everyday, real world situations. In Iran, the students can learn English in two contexts including a) public schools that are funded and supported by the government b) private institutes. In public education, the students start learning English from the first year of Junior Secondary Program for six years. But after graduating from high school, hardly some of them are able to communicate fluently (Safari & Rashidi, 2015). Thus, this study investigated the comparability of the effectiveness of two education systems applied in two contexts on oral communication skills. Direct observations, interviews, and FCE speaking test taken by 154 students of two contexts revealed that the language learners of private institutes outperformed on oral skills. Furthermore, the results of independent t-test indicated that 8 internal and external moderator-factors assessed by a questionnaire might affect speaking performance of language learners in two contexts. The findings were also supported by the interview-based data.

ReCALL ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Moreno Jaén ◽  
Carmen Pérez Basanta

AbstractThe argument for a pedagogy of input oriented learning for the development of speaking competence (Sharwood-Smith, 1986; Bardovi-Harlig and Salsbury, 2004; Eslami-Rasekh, 2005) has been of increasing interest in Applied Linguistics circles. It has also been argued that multimedia applications, in particular DVDs, provide language learners with multimodal representations that may help them ‘to gain broad access to oral communication both visually and auditory’ (Tschirner, 2001: 305). Thus this paper focuses on an exploratory study of teaching oral interaction through input processing by means of multimodal texts.The paper is divided into a number of interconnected sections. First, we outline briefly what teaching conversation implies and examine the important role of oral comprehension in the development of conversational interaction. In fact, it has been suggested that effective speaking depends very much on successful understanding (Oprandy, 1994). In this paper we pay special attention to the crucial role of context in understanding oral interactions. Therefore, we outline the theory of context in English Language Teaching (ELT). The discussion draws on approaches to teaching conversation and it also offers a brief reflection about the need for materials which might convey the sociocultural and semiotic elements of oral communication through which meaning is created.We then discuss the decisions taken to propose a new multimodal approach to teaching conversation from a three-fold perspective: (a) the selection of texts taken from films, and the benefits of using DVDs (digital versatile disc); (b) the development of a multimodal analysis of film clips for the design of activities; and (c) the promotion of a conversation awareness methodology through a bank of DVD clips to achieve an understanding of how native speakers actually go about the process of constructing oral interactions.In sum, the main thrust of this paper is to pinpoint the advantages of using multimodal materials taken from DVDs, as they provide learners with broad access to oral communication, both visual and auditory, making classroom conditions similar to the target cultural environment (Tschirner, 2001).


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-264
Author(s):  
Arzu Ekoç

Mobile language learning applications have changed how language is learned and have opened new windows for potential learners. At the convenience of our time, place, comfort and pace, we can learn or revise a language through our mobile gadgets. From the reviewed literature, it is evident that more data is needed to understand the users’ views about mobile applications. Instead of focusing on a single mobile application, the researcher attempted to elicit the general perceptions of Turkish adult learners about mobile language learning apps. In line with this thought, a selfadministered questionnaire was sent to potential mobile app users and 231 participants replied to the questionnaire. The aim of this study is to find out what perceptions adult learners in Turkey have and what their suggestions are to enhance future mobile language learning applications. For the close-ended questions, frequencies and percentages were taken, while for the open-ended question, content analysis was done. Easy access was considered as the greatest strength, while internet connection requirements and scarcity of interactivity were considered among the shortcomings. The participants offered some suggestions which can yield new paths for application developers, teachers and practitioners in the field of English language teaching and adult learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Mohammad Almutairi

This study aims to investigate Kuwaiti parents' views and opinions towards introducing native speakers' and international cultures into their children's' EFL textbooks in public schools in the light of recent debates that discuss the relationship between culture and English language teaching. It also intends to explore and discover their perceptions towards the current cultural content being taught in Kuwait public elementary schools. For this purpose, questionnaires were distributed among Kuwaiti parents whom their children study in the government public schools followed by semi-structured interviews to get more detailed and in-depth information about the topic discussed. The findings of this study show that the vast majority had negative opinions and views towards exposing their children to native speaker's cultures for social and religious reasons. One of which is their underlying concern about the negative impacts of native speakers' content on their children's cultural and national identity. However, most of them agreed their children learn EFL through the prism of the international multicultural cultural content to prepare them use the language in different cultural contexts when they grow up. The results also showed that most of them preferred to keep the current ELT syllabus which uses the host cultural content rather than replacing it with the native speakers' one for the same reasons and also in view of growing awareness of the role played by culture in the EFL classroom which propound the nature of the Kuwaiti society of being conservative and cautious.


2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Clea Schmidt ◽  
Ellen Pilon ◽  
J.E. King

Reviews of: 'Language Learners as Ethnographers,' by Ana Barro, Michael Byram, Shirley Jordan, Celia Roberts and Brian Street; 'An Intercultural Approach to English Language Teaching,' by John Corbett; 'Critical Pedagogy: Political Approaches to Language and Intercultural Communication,' by Manuela Guilherme and Alison Phipps; 'Test It Fix It: English Verbs and Tenses Pre-intermediate,' and 'Test It Fix It: English Verbs and Tenses Intermediate,' by Kenna Bourke; and 'Silence in Second Language Learning: A Psychoanalytic Reading,' by Colette A. Granger.


2019 ◽  
Vol 118 (11) ◽  
pp. 417-423
Author(s):  
V. P. Rathi

The present paper aims at the advancement of e-reading and e-learning among the students, English language learners, teachers and all other academicians in India.  There is a tremendous change in the development of language either it is one’s native language or English as second language, the lingua franca or the official language.  E-reading is particularly a self-selected one and it has a wonderful impact on the English language readers. The modern day students are visually oriented students and they prefer e-reading and e-learning method to enrich their English knowledge.  NDLI, the digital library of India and NPTEL, Swayam are helpful e-resources for many English language learners, teachers and other academicians.  The Government of India encourages students and teachers by admitting them in online courses especially to improve their English language skills.  Google Classroom, Youtube linkages on education are becoming more and more popular and become effective in the process of English language learning.  With a lot of advancement today, the English language learners are provided with independent learning also.  The advancement of e-reading and e-learning enhance the students to improve their English language skills.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (57) ◽  
pp. 788-797
Author(s):  
Silvia Renata Gomes Freire ◽  
Pedro Fernando Dos Santos

Resumo: A Língua Inglesa é considerada o idioma mais falado do mundo, sendo caracterizado como a língua da comunicação e das relações internacionais. Cada vez mais o número de falantes deste idioma vem crescendo, e a necessidade de dominá-la passa a fazer parte da maioria da vida das pessoas, sendo frequente a busca por cursinhos durante a idade adulta, por necessidade de se inserir no mercado de trabalho. Esta procura decorre justamente da falta de incentivo que a aprendizagem de uma segunda língua recebe durante a infância, em que essa realidade se reflete de forma mais atenuada quando comparado às escolas privadas e públicas, em que uma oferece esse tipo de ensino desde a Educação Infantil, contudo a outra somente oferta a partir do Ensino Fundamental- Anos Finais. Nesse contexto, o presente artigo intitulado “O ensino da língua inglesa na educação infantil: o distúnciamento entre a escola pública e privada.” tem por objetivo analisar como se deu a introdução da Língua Inglesa no Brasil, bem como verificar a diferença entre o ensino do inglês na Educação Infantil das escolas públicas e particulares, ressaltando a importância e as vantagens de aprender um segundo idioma ainda na infância. A base teórica do trabalho se deu através de autores como Santos (2011), Rossato (2012), Kumaravadivelu (2013), constituindo assim uma pesquisa bibliográfica, que fez uso do método qualitativo para elaboração do escrito. A partir do exposto no decorrer do trabalho, foi possível concluir que as crianças, em razão do fator curiosidade, são mais propícias para aprender coisas novas, e portanto à introdução do ensino da L.I desde a infância é essencial para que o gosto por um novo idioma se desenvolva. Destarte, foi imprescindível também notar que as diferenças entre as instituições de ensino pública e privada, são fatores que dificultam o trabalho com o Inglês, em razão da muita ou pouca importância que ele recebe em cada instituição. Depreende-se que, a Língua Inglesa deveria ser mais valorizada principalmente no que tange sua relevância dentro da sociedade, o que implica dizer que quanto mais cedo for iniciada nas escolas, mais validos serão os conhecimentos adquiridos a partir dela, e por isso o ideal é que se inicie seu processo de aprendizagem ainda na infância, em conjunto com a Língua Portuguesa. Palavras-Chave: Escola pública; Escola privada; Ensino; Língua Inglesa; Infância. Abstract: The English language is considered the world’s most spoken language, being characterized as the communication and international relationships language. The number of people who speak this language has been increasing, and the need of knowing it precisely became a part of most of these people, so they search for lessons during their adulthood, to upgrade themselves in the business market. This need comes from the low encouragement received when it comes to bilingual education during the childhood, and this reality hits when we compare the public and private schools education, when one offers this type of education during the elementary school, and the other only introduces it from the late years in elementary school. With this in mind, the present article named “The English language teaching during the kindergarten: the gap between public and private school.” is focused in analyzing how the English language was introduced here in Brazil, and also verify the differences between the English education of private and public schools, being aware about the importance and benefits of learning a second language during the childhood. This article is based in works from authors like Santos (2011), Rossato (2012), Kumaravadivelu (2013), constituting a bibliographical research, using the qualitative method to formulate the article. From the above during this article, it was possible to conclude that children, from their curiosity, are more favorable to learn new things, so the introduction of the English education starting in their kindergarten it’s fundamental to develop interest for a new language. Thus, it was also essential to note that the differences between public and private educational institutions are factors that make working with English difficult, due to the high or low importance it receives in each institution. It appears that the English language should be more valued especially with regard to its relevance within society, which implies that the earlier it is started in schools, the more valid the knowledge acquired from it will be, and therefore the ideal is to start their learning process still in childhood, together with the Portuguese language. Keywords: Public School, Private School, Teaching, English Language, Childhood. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Maryam Barghamadi

English language materials and courses are developed to cover the skills that learners require to master. In the domain of English language teaching, Needs Analysis (NA), also known as Need Assessment, is a process that aims to investigate the present level of English language learners and identify what they need to know. The NA process is unanimously accounted for as a crucial feature of English language learning, especially for teaching materials, learning activities, testing, and developing assessment programs. Due to its vital role, a great deal of research has been conducted on this process, and several approaches have been suggested for it in the literature. This paper aims to provide an overview of the needs analysis as well as its fundamentals and concepts. This paper also presents a review of previous research methods developed for NA and their strengths and limitations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 65-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Henrique Mendes Brandão ◽  
Jesiel Soares Silva

RESUMO: Neste trabalho, objetivamos analisar as implicações docentes e discentes no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de língua inglesa. Para tal, avaliamos a utilização, por parte dos professores dessa língua, de materiais em vídeo, músicas, entre outras mídias advindas dessas novas TIC, tanto em escolas públicas quanto particulares, considerando a percepção dos professores e alunos. Como procedimento de investigação, aplicamos um questionário a professores e alunos de seis escolas da região do Barreiro, em Belo Horizonte – MG (Brasil). Com base nas respostas obtidas, verificamos um baixo índice de aproveitamento das potencialidades das novas TIC, em especial nas escolas públicas, mas também nas escolas particulares. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: novas TIC; ensino-aprendizagem de língua inglesa; materiais autênticos.   ABSTRACT:In this paper we aimed at analyzing the implications concerning teachers and students in the English teaching-learning process. To do so, we assessed the English teachers’ use of video materials, music, among other media provided by the new ICT, both in public and private schools, relying on teachers’ and students’ perceptions. As investigation procedure, we applied a multiple-item questionnaire to teachers and students from six schools in the neighborhood of Barreiro, in Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais (Brazil). Through the answers, we verified a low rate of exploration of the potentialities provided by the new ICT, especially in public schools, but also in the private ones. KEYWORDS: new ICT; English language teaching-learning; authentic materials.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 270
Author(s):  
Ginanjar Arif Wijaya

As the integral part of education, English language teaching has taken too little part of it and brought it to the level where English learning seems to talk only about English. In another extent, English for specific purpose declares its specialty to satisfy the demand of workforce. Researches in ELT are also commonly propelled by the urges to counter the work challenges and to answer the questions of how English can effectively be acquired. Reductionism roots as the problem. This tendency is then strengthened by the education system that leaves the teachers with not many options, systematically forcing the language learners to merely surpass the minimum standard score of English language subject. Within ecological and humanity crises, ELT needs to contribute more than just enabling the learners to communicate well or preparing them for works. ELT needs to take broader scope in order to induce life enlightenment, educate life skills, nurture humanity, and maintain the planet. Such enormous scope cannot be maintained by the current reductionistic approach. Therefore, holistic approach in ELT that integrates it with the whole network of life appears as the solution for this problem.


2018 ◽  
Vol III (I) ◽  
pp. 281-293
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shahbaz ◽  
Behzad Anwar ◽  
Muhammad Babar Jamil

This comparative study investigates the learners' attitudes towards learning English from two comparative education systems (private and public sector) of Pakistan. This study is an attempt to measure the cognitive, emotional and behavioral attitudes of these young learners towards English. The research methodology is quantitative in nature. The tool used for data analysis by the researchers is questionnaire. Steal’s (2004) questionnaire has been used to measure the attitude of the learners towards English language. The data has been collected from 100 students of four different schools including two private and two public schools in Gujranwala district. The quantitative analysis of the data is executed by SPSS and the findings reveal that the students of private schools show positive attitude towards English language as compared to the public schools’ students. The researchers also suggest a large-scale study from various parts of the country with larger population to know the reason behind the positive or negative attitude of students.


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