scholarly journals IELTS Preparation in New Zealand: an Investigation into the Nature of the Courses and Evidence of Washback

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Belinda M Hayes
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Observation Instruments ◽  
Language Schools ◽  
The Impact

<p>In recent years, the impact of major tests and examinations on language teaching and learning has become an area of significant interest for testers and teachers alike. One aspect of test impact is washback, which is traditionally described as the negative effects that result from a test. It is said to create a narrowing of the curriculum in the classroom so that teachers and learners focus solely on the areas to be tested. On the other hand, there have been attempts to generate positive washback by means of examination reform to encourage teachers and learners to adopt more modern communicative approaches to language learning. The test that is the subject of the present study is the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which has become the preferred method of assessing the English language proficiency of international students seeking admission into tertiary institutions in many countries. Since its introduction into New Zealand in 1991, courses which claim to prepare students for the test have become an increasingly common feature of the programmes offered by both private and public sector language schools. This study investigated the washback effect of the test by studying three IELTS preparation courses offered by language schools at public tertiary institutions in Auckland. The aim was to identify the significant activities in an IELTS preparation class in New Zealand and establish whether there was evidence of washback in the way classes were designed and delivered. Various forms of data-gathering were utilised, including two structured observation instruments, questionnaires and interviews for the teachers, two questionnaires for the students, and pre- and post-testing of the students. In addition, an analysis was made of IELTS preparation textbooks, with particular reference to those which were sources of materials for the three courses. Thus, the study provided a detailed account of the range and duration of activities occurring in IELTS preparation courses as well as insight into the teachers' approach to selecting appropriate lesson content and teaching methods. The findings showed markedly different approaches between the courses, with two focusing almost exclusively on familiarising students with the test and providing them with practice on test tasks. On the other hand, the third course, while including some test practice, took a topic-based approach and differed from the others in the amount of time spent on the types of activities one might expect to find in a communicative classroom. Pre- and post-testing revealed no significant gain in overall IELTS scores during the courses. The study concludes that teachers who design and deliver IELTS preparation courses are constrained by a combination of factors of which IEITS itself is but one. It highlights the need for further research into appropriate methodologies for washback research, including the refinement and validation of observation instruments, and provides more evidence of the complex impact of tests on both classroom teaching and learning.</p>

scholarly journals IELTS Preparation in New Zealand: an Investigation into the Nature of the Courses and Evidence of Washback

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Belinda M Hayes
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Observation Instruments ◽  
Language Schools ◽  
The Impact

<p>In recent years, the impact of major tests and examinations on language teaching and learning has become an area of significant interest for testers and teachers alike. One aspect of test impact is washback, which is traditionally described as the negative effects that result from a test. It is said to create a narrowing of the curriculum in the classroom so that teachers and learners focus solely on the areas to be tested. On the other hand, there have been attempts to generate positive washback by means of examination reform to encourage teachers and learners to adopt more modern communicative approaches to language learning. The test that is the subject of the present study is the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which has become the preferred method of assessing the English language proficiency of international students seeking admission into tertiary institutions in many countries. Since its introduction into New Zealand in 1991, courses which claim to prepare students for the test have become an increasingly common feature of the programmes offered by both private and public sector language schools. This study investigated the washback effect of the test by studying three IELTS preparation courses offered by language schools at public tertiary institutions in Auckland. The aim was to identify the significant activities in an IELTS preparation class in New Zealand and establish whether there was evidence of washback in the way classes were designed and delivered. Various forms of data-gathering were utilised, including two structured observation instruments, questionnaires and interviews for the teachers, two questionnaires for the students, and pre- and post-testing of the students. In addition, an analysis was made of IELTS preparation textbooks, with particular reference to those which were sources of materials for the three courses. Thus, the study provided a detailed account of the range and duration of activities occurring in IELTS preparation courses as well as insight into the teachers' approach to selecting appropriate lesson content and teaching methods. The findings showed markedly different approaches between the courses, with two focusing almost exclusively on familiarising students with the test and providing them with practice on test tasks. On the other hand, the third course, while including some test practice, took a topic-based approach and differed from the others in the amount of time spent on the types of activities one might expect to find in a communicative classroom. Pre- and post-testing revealed no significant gain in overall IELTS scores during the courses. The study concludes that teachers who design and deliver IELTS preparation courses are constrained by a combination of factors of which IEITS itself is but one. It highlights the need for further research into appropriate methodologies for washback research, including the refinement and validation of observation instruments, and provides more evidence of the complex impact of tests on both classroom teaching and learning.</p>

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 Communicative-Analytic Method in Teaching English to Adults at Commercial English Schools and Centers in Ukraine

2015 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 16-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg Tarnopolsky
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Language Schools ◽  
Teaching Learning

The growing use of English as the language of global communication leads to the growing demand for learning it among adult population of non-English-speaking countries. If such people did not have a chance of acquiring English during their school or university years but urgently need it for professional or personal purposes, they learn it in courses offered by numerous commercial language schools and centers. This article deals with the experience of teaching English at such schools and centers in Ukraine. The way of teaching and learning suggested in the article was developed to meet students’ expectations and, at the same time, to be in full accordance with the most cutting edge achievements in today’s approaches to organizing adult students’ successful language acquisition. The developed method of teaching/learning was called the communicative-analytic one since, on the one hand, it makes use of the best in communicative language learning required for optimal attainment of the final goal of language education for adults – developing their English communicative competence. On the other hand, the communicative approach is combined with learners’ analysis, practicing, and consciousness-raising as to separate language forms that students believe to be indispensable for language acquisition. Experiential learning activities and cultural orientation of the method are discussed, as well as some peculiarities of using it in courses of different levels within a commercial English language program.

scholarly journals Facing up to the Challenges in Teaching and Learning English in Polytechnics

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-54
Author(s):  
Shahiza Ahmad Zainuddin ◽  
Yusri Kamin
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
The Other ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Subjects ◽  
Language Competency ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Learning English

The competency of English among future graduates has consistently been discussed and has become a national concern. The impact of not having competency in English contributes to the hindrance of communication. Thus, English language becomes a major factor graduates are not able to secure suitable employment or to perform at work. The Technical and Vocational Education Training providers such as polytechnics share the same concern as the other institutions. English courses are taught as compulsory course for all students and students are given opportunities to practise the language through co-curricular activities. Communicative English is offered in three semesters, to support the core subjects and complement the technical subjects. In leading towards development and preparing graduates to meet the needs of the future, it is pertinent to ensure that the outcome of English courses in polytechnics is to produce graduates with adequate language competency and ready for work. This chapter reveals the challenges faced by English and content lecturers based on teaching English in polytechnics, teaching the discipline content in English and the collaboration between both subject lecturers. Qualitative data is gathered based on interviews with the lecturers to discover the perception of lecturers from language and content disciplines. The challenges in teaching and learning English are analysed and recommendations for improvement are beneficial to be used as interventions to improve the teaching and learning of English in polytechnics.

The Impact of Individual Differences on Students' Perception of Writing Practice in Blogosphere

2015 ◽  
pp. 251-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Nami
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Educational Values ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Present Case Study ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Writing Practice

Over the past few decades, weblogs have widely made their way into English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning. Despite this growing research on the educational values of weblogs, the impact of individual differences on students' perception toward blogging has been rarely explored. In an attempt to fill this gap, the present case study reports on the impact of individual differences on 28 BA level, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology major students' perceptions of English writing practice in blogosphere. Data was collected from participants' responses to a post-course written interview. Adopting qualitative and quantitative data analysis procedures, it was observed that English language proficiency significantly influenced students' perceived effectiveness of writing practice in the classroom blog. The findings of this study offer several practical implications for research on weblog-enhanced language learning.

The Impact of Individual Differences on Students' Perception of Writing Practice in Blogosphere

2019 ◽  
pp. 648-668
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Nami
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Educational Values ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Present Case Study ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Writing Practice

Over the past few decades, weblogs have widely made their way into English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning. Despite this growing research on the educational values of weblogs, the impact of individual differences on students' perception toward blogging has been rarely explored. In an attempt to fill this gap, the present case study reports on the impact of individual differences on 28 BA level, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology major students' perceptions of English writing practice in blogosphere. Data was collected from participants' responses to a post-course written interview. Adopting qualitative and quantitative data analysis procedures, it was observed that English language proficiency significantly influenced students' perceived effectiveness of writing practice in the classroom blog. The findings of this study offer several practical implications for research on weblog-enhanced language learning.

scholarly journals Usefulness of WhatsApp in the Process of English Language Learning among Undergraduate Students: A Perception Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-42
Author(s):  
Nadia Hanif ◽  
Maria Sajid
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Technology In Education ◽  
Integration Of Technology ◽  
Language Knowledge ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

Technology has invaded the field of education and has become a major source of gaining and spreading knowledge. Among the various technological advancements currently facilitating teaching and learning in several educational disciplines, mobile technology is noteworthy. These days, almost all students keep a mobile phone and use its applications for different purposes. With the integration of technology in education, mobile devices are also being incorporated in numerous educational disciplines including language learning. This research was carried out to study students’ perception of the impact of WhatsApp in learning English language. A questionnaire of 27 items was administered to find out the perception of 157 students about the impact of WhatsApp in English language learning. Students’ access to internet was also explored to study the influence of the availability of internet on students’ perception. The findings showed that students have a positive perception of the influence of WhatsApp in English language learning. They believe that using WhatsApp for language learning gives them confidence, improves their English language knowledge and enhances their four language skills. They also gave a positive response about the ubiquitous use of WhatsApp and their preference of using WhatsApp as compared to other teaching and learning pedagogies.

scholarly journals Mobile Learning Age: Implications for Future Language Learning Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 862-867
Author(s):  
Bader Alharbi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
English Major ◽  
Unknown Words ◽  
Dramatic Shift ◽  
The Impact

The dramatic shift in the language learning processes during recent years led to significant changes in the way teaching and learning may happen. Due to the pervasive of smartphone and tablets among new generations, they become academically beneficial learning tools. There is growing research body on the MALL “Mobile Assisted Language Learning.” However, there is still a dire need to explore the students’ personal use of smartphones and their apps for learning benefit. This study attempted to investigate the impact of using mobile dictionary (MD) apps for learning the English language. A questionnaire was distributed among 87 English major students and responses analyzed. Follow-up interviews were also conducted with 13 students and their responses were qualitatively analyzed. The findings underscored the essential role smartphones and tablets play in extending learning outside the classroom settings. The results also revealed that most of the students rely heavily on their mobile applications to translate unknown words. The students also revealed that their teachers did not fully welcome the skills to use smartphone translation applications. This study suggested that there is a gap between the MALL skills needed by the students and the teaching style employed by the teachers in the classrooms. This gap increases the necessity for further studies that can identify the frequencies and linguistic needs of the English language learners. The study recommends that teachers need to foster a new teaching style as new generations students will need new skills sets to thrive in social communication and technology-rich.

Evaluating Web Content for Self-Directed Language Learning

2010 ◽  
pp. 179-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoko Hirata
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Information And Communication

Recently, information and communication technology (ICT) in Japanese tertiary institutions have begun to play an increasingly important role in teaching and learning of foreign languages. This technology helps students have access to various kinds of language learning materials and resources through the websites any time and anywhere. Online or web-based language courses provide Japanese students with the variety and flexibility to work at their own level and pace through this technology. However, a major issue to be considered when implementing these courses is the fact that traditionally Japanese students are not culturally self-directed or autonomous language learners. The purpose of this study was to examine how Japanese students perceived two different approaches of self-directed language learning projects through the evaluation of English language websites. The findings suggested that the students’ perceptions of the research-based project using websites were positive and they were able to regulate their own learning process.

The Analyses of Learning Strategies in English as a Second Language: Theoretical Classification and Measurement Test

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-129
Author(s):  
Asti Gumartifa ◽  
◽  
Indah Windra Dwie Agustiani
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
The Impact

Gaining English language learning effectively has been discussed all years long. Similarly, Learners have various troubles outcomes in the learning process. Creating a joyful and comfortable situation must be considered by learners. Thus, the implementation of effective learning strategies is certainly necessary for English learners. This descriptive study has two purposes: first, to introduce the classification and characterization of learning strategies such as; memory, cognitive, metacognitive, compensation, social, and affective strategies that are used by learners in the classroom and second, it provides some questionnaires item based on Strategy of Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) version 5.0 that can be used to examine the frequency of students’ learning strategies in the learning process. The summary of this study explains and discusses the researchers’ point of view on the impact of learning outcomes by learning strategies used. Finally, utilizing appropriate learning strategies are certainly beneficial for both teachers and learners to achieve the learning target effectively.

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