Exploring ESL Lecturers' Perspectives on The English Preparatory Course Under The MDAB Programme

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Gurnam Kaur A/P Gurdial Singh ◽  
Yuen Fook Chan ◽  
PECK CHOO LIM ◽  
Siti Hajar Aishah Mohd Azkah
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Central Zone ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The North ◽  
Contact Hours ◽  
Preparatory Course ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
South Zone

The Mengubah Destini Anak Bangsa (MDAB) pre-diploma English preparatory course is a course offered in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) which caters for under privileged Malay and Bumiputera students. The main aim of the course is to upgrade the English proficiency levels of these students to help them further their studies at diploma level. Having good English language skills is important in the 21st century. Hence, tertiary students should have good English skills to be successful in the 21st century. This paper investigates the ESL lecturers’ perceptions of the MDAB English Preparatory course. The study involved a total of 18 lecturers from three zones in UiTM Malaysia, namely the Central zone (Negeri Sembilan), the South zone (Malacca) and the North zone (Kelantan). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The findings showed that the lecturers felt that the current six contact hours is not sufficient to cover the English language components in the syllabus. Moreover, they felt that there were far too many assessments in the course which needed to be carried out during this six hour course. This further compounded their problems with regard to time constraints. Besides that, they felt that there was too much emphasis on the listening and speaking skills. These findings suggest that there is a need for an increase in the contact hours for the MDAB English Preparatory Course. Keywords: English Preparatory course, MDAB, English proficiency, ESL Lecturers’ perspectives

scholarly journals STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COLLABORATIVE BRAINSTORMING IN ACADEMIC WRITING CLASSES

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Listyani - Listyani
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
21St Century Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Writing Classes

The 21st century skills include collaboration and teamwork, creativity and imagination, critical thinking, and problem solving. In writing  classes collaborative brainstorming is one of many activities that can be conducted by teachers to help students develop their 21st century skills. It is because collaborative brainstorming makes students think critically, creative, work better in a group, and solve problems collaboratively. This study investigated students’ perceptions on the use of collaborative brainstorming in Academic Writing classes and its effectiveness in the students’ eyes in writing. The participants of this study were 33 English Language Education Program (ELEP) students who were taking Academic Writing class. The data were analyzed qualitatively, supported by open ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results of the data analysis exposed to prove that collaborative brainstorming helps students in Academic Writing projects. Finally, this study indicates the importance of classroom interaction during classroom learning activities. This study also suggests a strategy to overcome students minor participation during group discussions. The 21st century skills include collaboration and teamwork, creativity and imagination, critical thinking, and problem solving. In writing  classes collaborative brainstorming is one of many activities that can be conducted by teachers to help students develop their 21st century skills. It is because collaborative brainstorming makes students think critically, creative, work better in a group, and solve problems collaboratively. This study investigated students’ perceptions on the use of collaborative brainstorming in Academic Writing classes and its effectiveness in the students’ eyes in writing. The participants of this study were 33 English Language Education Program (ELEP) students who were taking Academic Writing class. The data were analyzed qualitatively, supported by open ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results of the data analysis exposed to prove that collaborative brainstorming helps students in Academic Writing projects. Finally, this study indicates the importance of classroom interaction during classroom learning activities. This study also suggests a strategy to overcome students minor participation during group discussions.

scholarly journals Teaching and testing of English listening and speaking in secondary schools in Nepal: Pretend for praxis?

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 17-32
Author(s):  
Kesh Rana ◽  
Karna Rana
Keyword(s):  
Private Schools ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Secondary English ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Written Examination ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

Secondary English course requires testing of four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing independently. Secondary Education Examination (SEE) board conducts a written examination, which includes reading and writing skills, through different centres and English teachers are responsible to test students’ listening and speaking tests in their own schools and submit grades to District Education Office. Semi-structured interviews with secondary English teachers in private schools and school graduates investigated how the teachers practice listening and speaking skills in the classrooms and administer aural-oral tests. Findings indicate that private schools in the capital city have mandated English-only for communication in school premises with an expectation to develop students’ English language proficiency. Teachers focused on centre-based written examination and less emphasised the teaching and testing of listening and speaking skills. Teachers’ random assessment of students’ aural-oral skills without formal tests supported in declining the teaching of these skills. This article suggests that for realizing the examination effective, sustainable system needs to be developed for teachers to teach all language skills equitably.

scholarly journals An Investigation on the Effectiveness of the English Literary Elements in Improving English Language at Undergraduate Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Arshad Ali ◽  
Syed Hyder Raza Shah ◽  
Shahid Hussain Mughal ◽  
Ghulam Muhiuddin Solangi ◽  
Muhammad Arif Soomro
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Method ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
The People ◽  
University Lecturers ◽  
Listening And Speaking

The English has become a lingua-franca language, thus to promote the English language’s interest in the people with the teachings of English literature is regarded as the competence of the learners in the Target Language(TL).Thus,the study aims to investigate the effectiveness of English literary elements in improving English language at undergraduate level. The qualitative method was preferred for collecting the data in which 15 participants were involved, 5 of them were university lecturers and rest of them were the students of English Department Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sanghar Campus. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from the participants and the data was analyzed by the thematic process. The findings of the research indicated that the English literary elements are helpful in the favor of improving English language. It was also declared that movies and dramas affect the English language more effectively. English literary elements affect the learners’ language competence in the different areas as; Listening and speaking. These elements help the learners to learn the language more effectively, and these elements play important role in improving the comprehensions of the learners. The study suggests that there should be integration of movies and dramas in the favor of students as they could get more fluency in English and the study also suggests that the material in the class should be used related to the learning area of the students.

scholarly journals The Role of English Proficiency in the Adaptation of Ukrainian Immigrant Children and Youth in Saskatchewan, Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-233
Author(s):  
Kateryna Bryzh ◽  
Veronika Makarova
Keyword(s):  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Immigrant Children ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
School Type ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Duration Of Stay

This article reports the results of a small-scale study examining the role of English language proficiency in the adaptation of Ukrainian immigrant children and youth to life in Saskatchewan, Canada. The main objective of the study was to describe issues related to English as a Second Language (ESL) proficiency as they are perceived by Ukrainian children and youth and by their parents. The second objective of the study was to explore the following factors in the adaptation process: age, gender, duration of stay in Canada, age upon arrival in Canada, ESL class attendance, school type (English as the language of instruction or bilingual), and level of English proficiency. A total of 60 participants (30 children/youth and 30 parents) took part in the study. The methodology (mixed quantitative/qualitative) involved semi-structured interviews with the children/youth participants, an evaluation of their ESL proficiency, and a questionnaire survey of parents’ views on ESL-related adaptation difficulties experienced by children/youth. The results demonstrated that most Ukrainian immigrant children/youth reported that limited English proficiency was a major problem for them when they moved to Canada. The results of the study suggest that the difficulties experienced by a child who immigrates to Canada depend on the child’s ESL speaking proficiency, general ESL proficiency, duration of stay in Canada, and age upon arrival in Canada.

scholarly journals English Language Skills Required by the Hospitality and Tourism Sector in El Oro, Ecuador

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Mayra Alexandra Cuenca Erazo ◽  
Stephanie Isabel Molina Ramírez ◽  
Maria Asuncion Rojas Encalada ◽  
Jhonny Villafuerte Holguin ◽  
Jia Hui Zou
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Language Knowledge ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

the present study follows a qualitative research approach that analyzes the perceptions of people linked to the different fields in the tourism sector of the province of El Oro in Ecuador. Currently, this province has professionals who lack a good level of English proficiency to provide foreigners with the best service. The researchers applied semi-structured interviews, capitalization of testimony, and focus group discussions to 15 participants associated with the different activities in the tourism area. The present study aimed to explore the needs and uses of the English language in the tourism and Hostelry sectors of "El Oro," the implications of having staff with good English language knowledge, and the impact of knowing English in the tourism sector.  The results revealed that staff required having an appropriate level of English proficiency to make tourists feel comfortable during their stay.  For this reason, knowing English has a positive impact in all the areas of the tourism sector.  The researchers suggest further studies regarding the effectiveness of different strategies and techniques to develop English for Tourism Purposes (ETP) at the university level and examine the impact of knowing English in the different fields of the tourism sector.

Tertiary English-majored Students’ Perceptions toward the Role of Pronunciation in English Language Learning and their Practicing Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-279
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The University

Accurate pronunciation has a vital role in English language learning as it can help learners to avoid misunderstanding in communication. However, EFL learners in many contexts, especially at the University of Phan Thiet, still encounter many difficulties in pronouncing English correctly. Therefore, this study endeavors to explore English-majored students’ perceptions towards the role of pronunciation in English language learning and examine their pronunciation practicing strategies (PPS). It involved 155 English-majored students at the University of Phan Thiet who answered closed-ended questionnaires and 18 English-majored students who participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that students strongly believed in the important role of pronunciation in English language learning; however, they sometimes employed PPS for their pronunciation improvement. Furthermore, the results showed that participants tended to use naturalistic practicing strategies and formal practicing strategies with sounds, but they overlooked strategies such as asking for help and cooperating with peers. Such findings could contribute further to the understanding of how students perceive the role of pronunciation and their PPS use in the research’s context and other similar ones. Received 10th June 2019; Revised 12th March 2020; Accepted 12th April 2020

EXTERNAL INDEPENDENT EVALUATION IN ENGLISH AS A CRITERION FOR ADMISSION TO MASTER`S DEGREE PROGRAMS IN UKRAINE: PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-50
Author(s):  
Л. Е. Бєловецька
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Independent Evaluation

The problem of external independent evaluation in English for admission Master`s degree programs in Ukraine is considered in the article. The perspective for further improvement of English teaching and learning standards at Ukrainian universities has been found. The correspondence to the CEFR basic levels and English proficiency has been identified. Conceptual Principles of State Policy on the Development of English in the Field of Higher Education are considered. The study included 1546 participants. The age of students, who studied to gain the first higher education, was between 17 and 20. The students were not familiar with the structure of External Independent Evaluation and they have never passed it. The research was carried out during the period 2018–2019. The relevance of English language competence in the professional context is noted emphasized as a key point of the presented research. The necessity to provide a sufficient competitive level for Ukrainian graduates through improving correspondent English language training has been considered. The study is based on a study of reports by British experts and contemporary scientific publications presented international researchers have focused on the problems of internationalization and perspectives for Ukrainian universities in the English language dimension. The relevance of studying and adaptation of the UK higher education successful practice has been highlighted. The problems and potential ways of improving students` English language proficiency in the given context are identified. In particular, the study contains important recommendations regarding the number of contact hours and the required levels of English proficiency for the main groups of participants in the educational process in higher education according to international standards.

A general practice provider federation in a mixed health economy in England: a case study investigation

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X696929
Author(s):  
Jill Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The North ◽  
Common Strategy ◽  
Common Purpose ◽  
Collaborative Working ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundThere is an emerging debate that general practice in its current format is out-dated and there is a requirement to move to a federated model of provision where groups of Practices come together. The emergence of federations has developed over the past 5 years but the factors that influence how federations develop and the impact of this new model is an under researched area.AimThe study explored the rationale around why a group of independent GP practices opted to pursue an alternative business venture and the benefits that this strategy offered.MethodA single organisational case study of a federation in the North of England was conducted between 2011–2016. Mixed methods data collection included individual and group semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys.ResultsFederations promote collaborative working, relying on strategic coherence of multiple individual GP practices through a shared vision and common purpose. Findings revealed many complexities in implementing a common strategy across multiple independent businesses. The ability of the federation to gain legitimacy was two dimensional – externally and internally. The venture had mixed successes, but their approach to quality improvement proved innovative and demonstrated outcomes on a population basis. The study identified significant pressures that practices were experiencing and the need to seek alternative ways of working but there was no shared vision or inclination to relinquish individual practice autonomy.ConclusionOrganisational development support is critical to reform General Practice. Whether central funding through the GP Five Year Forward View will achieve the scale of change required is yet to be evidenced.

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