scholarly journals INDONESIAN PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ PERCEIVED CHALLENGES IN IMPROVING ENGLISH ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-170
Author(s):  
Abid Abid

The study investigates perceived challenges that pre-service teachers (henceforth refers to PSTs) majoring in an English Education Program of a state university in the Province of Gorontalo, Indonesia, experience in improving their English oral proficiency level. Data from the PSTs were collected mainly using individual semi-structured interviews, and then corroborated with the interview results collected from several lecturers who participated voluntarily. Informed by a thematic analysis approach, the study shows that the PSTs reported three main areas of challenges; linguistic proficiency, socio-culture, and English language engagement opportunity. Recommendations seeking to assist PSTs as well as the English Education Program in anticipating such challenges are also addressed.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maha Alhaysony

This study sought to investigate the attitudes of Saudi EFL students towards corrective feedback (henceforth CF) on classroom oral errors. The subjects were 3200 (1223 male and 1977 female) students enrolled in an intensive English language programme in the preparatory year at the University of Ha'il. A questionnaire was the main instrument. This study seeks to extend our knowledge by examining the relationship between CF and gender, proficiency level, and students’ track. The results revealed that students generally have a positive perception of oral CF. Further, delayed CF was more favoured than immediate feedback. Of the methods of CF used by the teacher, the students preferred asking for clarification, repetition, explicit feedback, metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, and recasting; the majority of them regarded no correction as a poor method. Although the students wanted all of their oral errors to be corrected, they reported wanting their serious errors to be corrected first, followed by frequent errors, individual errors, and then, less serious errors; less frequent errors was the least preferred category. Regarding the choice of correctors, students favoured teacher correction, then self-correction, and finally, classmate correction. As far as the three variables considered, the analysis of the data revealed that in sum, regardless of gender, students’ proficiency level, and track, all students had similar beliefs about CF and strongly favoured receiving frequent CF in English oral communication classes once they were made aware of the purpose, significance, and methods of CF. However, the findings of the study showed that there was a significant gender difference, with women responding to CF significantly more than men. Moreover, the results revealed that highly proficient students preferred CF more than students with a lower proficiency, although there were no significant differences for most of the items. Additionally, there were some significant differences among students with different tracks. Pedagogical implications, limitations of the study, and recommendations for further research are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-72
Author(s):  
Roselle M. Soriano ◽  
Christian N. Escario ◽  
Pilipina B. Cagurangan ◽  
Annalene Grace E. Co ◽  
Chleo G. Pascual ◽  
...  

Numerous studies have found a positive connection between learners’ motivation towards foreign language and foreign language achievement. Drawn upon semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions among students, this study sheds light on the significant impact of motivation in English language learning. Further, this study explores the lived experiences of students and the factors influencing their motivation in learning the English Language. Purposeful sampling was to select participants in the different courses of Quirino State University, Cabarroguis Campus, Philippines. The results revealed that the teacher's influence, enjoyment in learning, desire to learn, parental influence, and classroom environment were the factors influencing students' motivation in learning the English Language. Thus, this study suggests that teachers should be aware of these factors of inspiration in their classrooms and consider these as significant parts in developing an English Language Intervention Program to motivate the students and improve their proficiency in learning the English Language.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66
Author(s):  
Shakila Nur ◽  
Megan Short

Given the integral role of English teachers in promoting quality English education, English language teaching in-service teacher education and training (ELT-INSET) plays a crucial role in developing quality and professional competence of English teachers. It is in this regard, when the inevitability of ELT-INSET is growing worldwide, our article identifies quality parameters of an ELT-INSET conducted in Bangladesh. This qualitative case study was conducted as part of a doctoral project employing semi-structured interviews with one ELT-INSET programme coordinator, three teacher trainers and 12 trainees (English teachers) of an ELT-INSET. The cross-case analysis of the interview data identified six factors adversely affecting the quality and efficacy of the ELT-INSET. The factors included the absence of needs analysis culture, an ineffective trainee selection mechanism and proper monitoring system, the quality issue of teacher trainers, contents and materials, the lack of required logistics support and finally, the bureaucratic power-coercive ELT-INSET management. The article, by shedding light on those findings, finally informs the policymakers with some implications with which to develop their policy and to enhance and ensure the quality and efficacy of ELT-INSET programmes. The implications might also be applicable irrespective of INSET for other subjects and polities with the same context beyond Bangladesh.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athar Yousef Abdullah Al-Garawi

This study aimed to investigate the benefits and barriers of using Instagram in English language learning. The sample of this study consisted of 151 randomly-selected female students enrolled in the department of English at the College of Languages and Translation at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in the academic year 1436/1437– 2015/2016 in the first semester. The researcher used both a five-point Likert scale questionnaire as a quantitative instrument and semi-structured interviews withstudents as a qualitative instrument to collect the data of the study. Those instruments were validated by ten university professors. Similarly, the reliability of the questionnaire was achieved by calculating Cronbach Alpha formula. The findings of the study revealed that the most important benefits of using Instagram in learning English were as follows: improving the reading, writing, and listening skills, providing enjoyable learning experiences, enriching vocabulary, improving oral communication skills, and enjoying a sense of freedom of time and place. Furthermore, the results of the study unveiled the following challenges of using Instagram in English learning: distracting attention, lack of direction from the syllabuses, lack of encouragement from instructors, embarrassment, lack of immediate feedback, the cost of Internet access, and the difficulty of writing long passages. Finally, the findings of the study presented the following solutions to Instagram barriers in English language learning: creating learning accounts and posting important things in the lecture, following only specialized accounts for learning English.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 260-269
Author(s):  
Witria Windika

The pupoposes of this study were (1) to find out the realizations of politeness strategies of disagreement by the sixth semester students of English Education students of Islamic State University in Sumatera, and (2) to figure out the most common types of politeness strategy used by them. The study employed qualitative research. The data were taken through a written test and Discourse Completion Test (DCT). The sample was taken by using cluster random sampling method which consisted of 12 male students and 12 female students. The study revealed that female and male English language learners experienced four types of politeness strategy: positive politeness, negative politeness, bald-on-record politeness, and off-record politeness with negative politeness as the most frequent strategy used by female and male English language learners. The result of the study showed that negative politeness was dominant politeness strategy which had value of 63,33%. The second place was bald-on-record (23,33%), the third place was positive politeness  (11,67%), and the last one was off-record (1,67%). The conclusion of this study indicated that in expressing politeness strategy for disagreement, both female and male respondents tended to perform negative politeness strategy.


Author(s):  
Roseniya G. Tamano ◽  
FatimahSakina A. Otara ◽  
Jamzien M. Umpa

The linguistic relativity of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis posits how language influences a person’s view of the world. This is where this study is entrenched and attempted to investigate the extent of influence of English language on the vocabulary of the selected English Education major students from a state university in Mindanao, Philippines. Employing survey for their profile, picture-lexicalization, and focus group discussion, data disclosed that roughly 70% perceived themselves to be very proficient in their native language; proficient in Filipino, which is the country's official national language and somewhat proficient in English language. Despite these perceptions of their proficiency in the languages they speak, picture-lexicalization method yielded practically 80% of the respondents use the English language compared to their native and Filipino languages. The participants disclosed that familiarity with the language played a major part in their picture-lexicalization. Finally, the FGD further revealed the respondents’ view that their native language is a reflection of their identity. The Filipino language makes them “real” Filipino or their national identity, while English language is a language of prestige and education that they can use to communicate with other nationalities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 63-78
Author(s):  
Tuba Işık ◽  
Cem Balçıkanlı

Autonomy support is a recently defined role for teachers, and they are expected to help learners engage in autonomous out-of-class learning. With a focus on English language learning outside the classroom, this study intended to uncover English as a foreign language teachers’ practices related to autonomy support and to discuss the challenges faced by the teachers in this process. Eleven teachers working at the tertiary level at a state university in Turkey were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in three sessions to find out the extent to which the teachers help their learners become autonomous. The findings revealed that the teachers perform many autonomy-supportive behaviors which are feasible in language classrooms such as motivating students, giving language advice and promoting peer collaboration. In doing this, the teachers utilize five different support mechanisms: affective, resource, capacity, technology, and social support. On the other hand, the findings uncovered such constraints as crowded classes, overloaded curriculum, and low learner motivation. These challenges were perceived as barriers hampering teachers’ efforts for autonomy support. This study highlights the feasibility of creating an autonomy-supportive language learning environment and provides implications for teachers of English as a Foreign Language.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-100
Author(s):  
Olga G Rossikhina ◽  
Polina V Ermakova ◽  
Olga A Aleshchenko

The article looks into the English language needs of engineering students and young graduates at one of the leading technological universities in Russia - NUST MISiS. The authors used a mixed methodology approach to explore how often and in what real-life situations current and former students use the English language. 107 paper questionnaires were completed by master’s degree students in class and the answers were counted; 123 responses were received online from 2015 and 2016 graduates and processed statistically; 17 structured interviews with college administrators and subject professors were recorded and then coded for the main categories. The results demonstrate that despite dramatic changes at NUST MISiS under The Competitiveness Enhancement Program 5-100, good English competence is not a priority, with the majority of young graduates being ‘unsure’ about its benefits for their career and some administrators calling it ‘the least required competence’. However, the English language needs vary across subject departments. Thus, students majoring in new materials and programming use English on a regular basis, while economists and metallurgists might not really need it in both studies and future job. Overall, the most required skill is reading, and the least used ones are oral communication and academic writing in English. The authors discuss how orientation on potential rather than actual needs can affect the ESP/EAP course design in the context of engineering education in Russia.


ELT in Focus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Kriswanda Krishnapatria

This research is motivated by the need of textbook used in the process of literature lecturing, especially prose. Critical theories discourse contained in literary work can be an interesting issue when textbooks used in Higher Education have not provided a mandate and a good and strong model to imitate. Given the importance of the role of textbooks in the process of knowledge transfer other than lecturers, it is necessary to develop literary coursebooks that subtly contain critical theories in order to produce better quality resources in changing attitudes and actions of readers.This research used a simplified Research and Development method that only covered three main stages: (1) preliminary study, (2) product formulation and development, and (3) product validation and dissemination. In addition, this study focused on coursebooks containing critical theories for English Education students of 6th Semester on Basic Analysis of Prose course at State University of Singaperbangsa Karawang.The coursebook as the development product for Basic Analysis of Prose in English Language Education Program at State University of Singaperbangsa Karawang has a total average analysis of validation results and small group testing above 80%, so it can be categorized as valid and feasible.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Coşkun

In this study, Microteaching Lesson Study (hereafter MLS) was applied for a research lesson designed by the MLS group members including three third-year prospective English language teachers in line with the Content and Language Integrated Learning (hereafter CLIL) approach. This qualitative study aims to uncover the contribution of MLS to the improvement of the teaching within a single lesson geared toward young learners and the perspectives of MLS group members about major components of the MLS process. The participants of the study are three MLS group members, 15 peers and an instructor in the English Language Teaching (hereafter ELT) department of a state university in Turkey. The lesson collaboratively developed by the MLS group members was presented three times by a different member to a different group of five peers who pretended to be young learners. After each lesson, revision meetings were held to analyze the self-reflection of the presenter, the peer/instructor feedback about the lesson and the recorded lesson. The analysis of the revision meetings illustrated the instructional improvement cycle of MLS. Moreover, the analysis of the semi-structured interviews with the MLS group members revealed that they were generally satisfied with the major components of MLS, such as collaborative lesson planning and receiving feedback from peers although a few concerns were mentioned as well. It is suggested that MLS should be incorporated into ELT programs.


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