scholarly journals Intervening Strategies to Cope with the Challenges of the Medium of Instruction of Instruction

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. p312
Author(s):  
Eustard Rutalemwa Tibategeza
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Professional Communication ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Lecture Method ◽  
Basic Course ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Basic English

English is a medium of instruction in higher learning institutions in Tanzania. Some institutions put in place some strategies to help students improve their English. This paper is a result of the study conducted at Archbishop Mihayo University College of Tabora. The objectives of the study were to assess the impact of the Basic English course on the students’ English, to scrutinise the course contents and to analyse the teaching methods and techniques to see if they help students to outshine in the English language. The study employed questionnaire, interview, focus group discussions and documentary review as instruments of data collection. The findings indicate that Basic English course has not helped students to improve their English for academic and professional communication and the course content is beyond what ought to be included in a basic course. It was further established that due to large classes, Basic English course is taught through lecture method, which does not give the students an opportunity to interact. The paper recommends that a serious review for Basic English course be done and be taught by qualified staff with appropriate teaching and learning materials in manageable groups to allow meaningful interaction and language usage.

scholarly journals The Impact of Using Code Alternation in Teaching Life Science to English First Additional Language learners in South African Schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 175
Author(s):  
Mzamani Johannes Maluleke ◽  
Ernest Kwesi Klu ◽  
Vincent N. Demana
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
The South ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Code Mixing ◽  
Teaching Life ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

The study aimed at investigating the extent to which English is used as a medium of teaching and learning Life Sciences in a South African rural high school. As the government has given recognition to the country’s multilingual, multi-ethnic and multicultural composition, School Governing Bodies are mandated to choose any of the eleven official languages as a medium of instruction (RSA, Act 108 of 1996), but the power of deciding which language to use as a medium of instruction has been taken by teachers to shield their own shortcomings. To be able to explore and understand the prevailing situation, the researchers employed a qualitative design which translated into researchers observing classes, evaluating learners’ written texts and interviewing the teachers as methods of collecting data. The findings are that: first, learners’ and teachers’ proficiency levels in English are very low, as such, the English language is not a pivot of learning and teaching in the South African education system. This emanates from the fact that although in theory the majority of the South African schools have adopted English as a medium of instruction, in practice, this is far from the truth as teachers employ code alternation in the form of code switching, code mixing and sentence translation as viable means of scaffolding the learning of content subjects.

The Use of Multimedia and its Impact on Bangladeshi EFL Learners at Tertiary Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Farzana Sharmin Pamela Islam
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

As 21st century is the era of modern technologies with different aspects, it offers us to make the best use of them. After tape recorder and overhead projector (OHP), multimedia has become an important part of language classroom facilities for its unique and effective application in delivering and learning lesson. Although in many parts of Bangladesh, a South Asian developing country, where English enjoys the status of a foreign language, the use of multimedia in teaching and learning is viewed as a matter of luxury. However, nowadays the usefulness and the necessity of it are well recognized by the academics as well as the government. The study aims to focus on the difference between a traditional classroom void of multimedia and multimedia equipped classrooms at university level by explaining how multimedia support the students with enhanced opportunity to interact with diverse texts that give them more in-depth comprehension of the subject. It also focuses on audio-visual advantage of multimedia on the students’ English language learning. The study has followed a qualitative method to get an in-depth understanding of the impact of using multimedia in an English language classroom at tertiary level. For this purpose, the data have been collected from two different sources. Firstly, from students’ written response to  an open ended question as to their comparative experience of learning  lessons with and without multimedia facilities; and secondly, through  observation of English language classes at a private university of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The discussion of the study is limited to  the use of multimedia in English language classroom using cartoons, images and music with a view to enhance students’ skills in academic writing, critical analysis of image and critical appreciation of music. For this purpose, cartoons in English language, images from Google and music from You Tube have got focused discussion in this paper.

scholarly journals Determinants In The Choice Of Comprehensible Input Strategies In Science Classes

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Crisanta Comia Buri
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Comprehensible Input ◽  
Filipino Students ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Science Classes ◽  
Bilingual Education Policy

The Bilingual Education Policy, which was launched in 1974 and revised in 1987, has resulted in the limited exposure of Filipino learners to the English language. This is because the policy reversed previous policies and stipulates that in only two content area subjects, namely, Science and Mathematics is English to be used as medium of instruction. The limited exposure to English has been cited as one of the reasons for the declining proficiency in English of Filipino students since the promulgation of the policy (Gonzales, 1986). On the other hand, the use of English as medium of instruction in cognitively demanding subjects such as science and mathematics has also been given as the reason for the poor showing of students and even teachers themselves in nationwide tests in Science (Maminta, 1985). The overall downtrend in student achievement as evidenced by the poor performance on all of the tests has given rise to two issues concerning the policy. First, is the language for initial literacy and the second is the medium of instruction in science and mathematics. These language issues are crucial in as much as language is the primary vehicle of expression and thought exchange in the classroom. Teaching and learning are in fact language tasks carried out largely by means of verbal interaction between teacher and students (Bellack, et al 1966). The exchange of ideas between students and teachers is largely done through language as they talk about concepts in science, mathematics and other content areas.

scholarly journals UNRAVELING THE POWER OF TEACHERS’ COMPETENCY AND TEACHING STYLES IN CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION: A PERSPECTIVE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Nipher Olieba ◽  
Ronald Kikechi
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Curriculum Implementation ◽  
Teaching Styles ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Local Dialect

<p>The language policy in Rwanda states that English is the medium of Instruction (MOI) to be used in the Education system following the 2008 Language shift. However, this change in the MOI brought about extreme challenges to both Rwandan teachers and learners. Moreover, the extensive day to day usage of Kinyarwanda, the local dialect, has greatly inhibited the use of English. This has adversely obstructed the use of the English language as a MOI and the curriculum implementation for over 20 years hence adversely affecting the teaching and learning process. The proficiency of the teachers who are meant to teach in the MOI is quite questionable; many realize the need to learn English while teaching or risk unemployment. As such, this study purposed to examine the teacher competency and teaching styles in use of English as a MOI in facilitating  curriculum implementation in rural primary schools in Rwanda. Guided by the inter language theory and the Discrepancy theory, the study applied a descriptive survey research design. With a target population of 3,269, the study entailed a sample of 1470 randomly selected learners from Primary 4 to Primary 6, teachers and head teachers from 21 schools. The study used questionnaires, interviews, and observation to collect primary data. The study found that the teachers’ competency in using English language as MOI had significant influence on curriculum implementation in rural primary schools in Muhanga district and in the entire republic of Rwanda. The teaching styles factors positively and significantly influence the use of MOI in curriculum implementation when other factors are held constant.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0807/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals Exploring Factors Causing Demotivation and Motivation in Learning English Language among College Students of Quetta, Pakistan

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maheen Sher Ali ◽  
Zahid Hussain Pathan
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Quantitative Design ◽  
Instrumental Motivation ◽  
Learning English

The prime aim of this research was to determine both demotivating and motivating factors for Pakistani college students of Quetta in learning English language. A quantitative design was employed in which 150 freshman college students studying in three different disciplines: Pre-medical, Pre-engineering and I.C.S at Government Girls college students of Quetta, Pakistan were included. A demotivation questionnaire was adopted from the study by Sakai & Kikuchi(2009) consisting of one open-ended question and 35 close-ended items on six factors of demotivation: grammar-based teaching, teacher’s behaviour, course contents and teaching materials, effects of low test score, classroom environment and lack of self-confidence and interest. Additionally, a modified 20-items AMTB motivation questionnaire along with one open-ended question was adapted from the study by Gardner (1985) which identifies the integrative and instrumental motivation. The closed ended questionnaire was analyzed applying descriptive statistics in SPSS (version, 22) whereas content analysis was performed on narrative data extracted from open-ended questionnaire and was quantified to establish the order and rank of factors causing motivation and demotivation among students in learning English language. The findings revealed that course content and teaching material emerged as the most salient demotivating factor. On the other hand, instrumental motivation emerged as the most influential source of motivation among students. The findings have implication on both teaching and learning of English language in Pakistan. 

scholarly journals Using technology in teaching English at the S.S.C. level

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 142-152
Author(s):  
Sifat Ullah ◽  
Quazi Farzana
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Technology In Teaching ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Impact

In this an era of technology, new technologies particularly computer, multimedia, mobile phone and the internet offer possibilities for overcoming geographical and cost barriers in teaching and learning. This study attempts to trace the use of technology in teaching English at the S.S.C. (Secondary School Certificate) level in Bangladesh. It also focuses on the impact of using technology in teaching and learning English. Eight teachers and 60 students from four private schools in Dhaka city were selected to survey the use of technology in teaching the English Language. The researchers employed the mixed methods research to carry out the study where two sets of questionnaires for the teachers and the students and a semi-structured interview only for the teachers were used to collect data. The findings showed that using technology in teaching has both the positive and the negative impacts. Teachers like to use technology in their classroom but limited time and lack of training and technical support from the authority hamper the mode of teaching. The students also feel comfortable in technology affiliated classroom, but sometimes they fail to catch the concept clearly as they become inattentive due to the lack of proper engagement of the teachers in the classroom.

scholarly journals Interactions in Non-English Major Large Classes in Vietnam

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Tran Thi Thanh Thuong ◽  
Le Pham Hoai Huong
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
English Major ◽  
Constructing Knowledge ◽  
Learning English

This study examines interactions in non-English major large classes in Vietnam. Audio recordings of classes of economics and business were used for data analysis. The study adopted sociocultural discourse analysis (Mercer, 2004) which focuses on the use of language as a social mode of thinking and a tool for teaching-and-learning, constructing knowledge, creating joint understanding and tackling problems collaboratively. The findings show that teachers mediated learners with their prompts, questions and scaffolding. Interactions between teachers and students assisted students in understanding and building concepts related to their majors, learning English language expressions and vocabulary. 

scholarly journals Perspectives on the Strategies for Teaching and Learning English as a Second Language at the University of Juba, South Sudan

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-225
Author(s):  
Majok Mabor Matoc Apadier
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
The North ◽  
Government Education ◽  
English Speaking World ◽  
The University

In line with South Sudan’s vision of a self- governing community, much hope was invested in the English speaking world thereby making a shift from Arabisation from the North. As a result, the English language was adopted a marker of identity and opposition to Arabic, language of government, education as well as international communication. As part of South Sudan’s look south policy, English was made to be a second language as opposed to a foreign language. In tandem with this country’s vision the University of Juba is not spared from the adoption of English as the language of instruction and a learning subject.  Due to the democratisation of schooling and education for all, enrolment in the learning of English is increasing and resultantly large classes are emerging.  In view of this, the paper therefore examines and provides preliminary results on the nature and feasibility of some teaching and learning of English in large classes at the University of Juba. This was done in light of the principles and concepts of Richards and Rodgers’ (2001) Communicative Language Teaching approach. It emerges from the findings that in the absence of a teaching framework there is no uniformity on the strategies that being adopted by both learners and teachers in the learning and teaching of English as a second language.

scholarly journals Online Learning Benefits and Challenges During the COVID 19 - Pandemic-Students’ Perspective from SEEU

SEEU Review ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-103
Author(s):  
Brikena Xhaferi ◽  
Gëzim Xhaferi
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
East European ◽  
Language And Literature ◽  
Student Questionnaire ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Online learning is becoming a commonplace in different settings starting from elementary, secondary and higher levels of education. Different educational institutions use different communication tools to promote learning because the expansive nature of the Internet and the accessibility of technology have generated a surge in the demand for web-based teaching and learning across the nations (Chaney, 2010). The online teaching and learning have become a necessity for education around the globe during COVID 19-pandemic. There are several challenges which are faced during online classes because the students must have strong self-motivation skills and be very disciplined to achieve the desired learning results. This paper presents and analyzes the data on the benefits and challenges of online teaching at South East European University (SEEU) during COVID 19 pandemic. The participants of the study are students of the BA level majoring in English Language and Literature and German Language and Literature at SEEU in Tetovo, North Macedonia. To answer the research questions, we have used a student questionnaire, interviews, and student reflection papers written during the online courses. Overall, the research indicates that benefits of online coursework outweigh the challenges that students face during the online classes. From a safety perspective, this study emphasizes the need to consider the impact of online teaching on student motivation and the paper raises important questions about how to best support students enrolled in online courses. Further research is needed in order to better evaluate the benefits, challenges, and useful strategies of successful students enrolled in online courses.

scholarly journals Analysing the Situation of ESL Teaching and Learning in Large University Classes in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 250
Author(s):  
Abdul Hameed Panhwar ◽  
Shah Nawaz Barich ◽  
Syed Khuram Shahzad
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Language Support ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The University

The present study is based on a chapter of the PhD project conducted by the main researcher. It aims to explore the ESL teaching and learning practices in a Pakistani university by focusing on difficulties perceived and confronted by learners and teachers, and solutions suggested by them. One of the most significant issues at the university is large classes-exceeding to 100 and more students on average. The main researcher, being an ESL teacher at the target university, faced the same problem of large size and found it difficult to teach these classes. He embarked on analysing the situation so that he might come across some solutions through the suggestions and experiences of the ESL teachers and students of the same university. The design of the study is descriptive and the results of the present study come from the quantitative data collected through student and teacher questionnaires. The Student-participants were 300 undergraduate students from various major subjects attending English language support classes and 22 ESL teachers teaching these English language support classes at different institutes of the university. The data were analysed descriptively and presented with help of the boxplots. The views, commonly held by teachers are supported by the study&rsquo;s findings i.e., large classes are likely to endorse teacher-centred approaches of teaching; very little significant student-student and teacher-student interaction is practised because of the inadequate physical environment; majority of learners remain off-task and appear to be unruly and they are given little, if any, feedback on their in-class and home tasks. Conversely, many teachers and learners reported that the adoption of group/pair work is likely to be an effective technique to use in these classes. Albeit a few teachers revealed having adopted group work infrequently, none used it all the time.

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