scholarly journals The Impact of Reflective Practice Questionnaires on Tertiary Language Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alona Litvinchuk ◽  
Larysa Kupchyk ◽  
Oksana Danyliuk ◽  
Maiia Dziuba
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Target Languages ◽  
Constructing Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

The article deals with the impact of reflective practice questionnaires on Language for Specific Purposes teaching and learning at the tertiary education level. Reflection was recognized as an essential factor for improving teaching quality and students’ motivation to develop their skills in both native and target languages. To convey this idea, there was conducted a multistage survey to identify students’ language awareness and learning abilities, to examine their reflection on the course design and teacher’s performance, as well as to monitor their progress throughout the course. There was described a survey procedure with the samples of questionnaires to be used. The obtained findings allowed assessing the process of enhancing the quality of teaching and achieving learning outcomes by students. The authors suggested some practical techniques to help teachers apply meaningful strategies and guide their students through reflective learning by making them active participants in constructing knowledge and educational experiences.

scholarly journals The Impact of Reflective Practice Questionnaires on Tertiary Language Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 90-101
Author(s):  
Alona Litvinchuk ◽  
Larysa Kupchyk ◽  
Oksana Danyliuk ◽  
Maiia Dziuba
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Target Languages ◽  
Constructing Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

The article deals with the impact of reflective practice questionnaires on Language for Specific Purposes teaching and learning at the tertiary education level. Reflection was recognized as an essential factor for improving teaching quality and students’ motivation to develop their skills in both native and target languages. To convey this idea, there was conducted a multistage survey to identify students’ language awareness and learning abilities, to examine their reflection on the course design and teacher’s performance, as well as to monitor their progress throughout the course. There was described a survey procedure with the samples of questionnaires to be used. The obtained findings allowed assessing the process of enhancing the quality of teaching and achieving learning outcomes by students. The authors suggested some practical techniques to help teachers apply meaningful strategies and guide their students through reflective learning by making them active participants in constructing knowledge and educational experiences.

scholarly journals Teachers' multiple roles and perceived loss of professionalism in Tanzanian secondary schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-19
Author(s):  
Godlove Lawrent
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Support Staff ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Education Expansion ◽  
Teaching Competence ◽  
Competence Beliefs ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

The rapid increase in Tanzanian primary school enrolments in the last decade was prompted by the government to develop the Secondary Education Expansion Policy. My study, therefore, explored the impact of this policy on teachers’ professional lives. A qualitative approach was adopted to gain detailed insights into the phenomena under investigation. Data were collected from 30 participant teachers from four community secondary schools in Tanzania through interviews and document analysis. Overall the findings revealed that the government’s shortcomings in hiring support staff prompted teachers to perform extra duties alongside teaching. It also found that the lack of the government’s commitment to rewarding teaching quality exacerbated teachers’ engagement in other income-generating activities. Teachers’ engagement in these non-teaching tasks both in school and out of school affected their own professional identities which subsequently impacted on their teaching competence beliefs. These findings recommend that in order to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, the government of Tanzania must improve teachers’ welfare by employing enough support staff to assist in teaching and learning.

scholarly journals Linguistic Education Under Revision: Globalization and EFL Teacher Education in Brazil

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Rachel Mendes ◽  
Kyria Rebeca Finardi
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Efl Teacher ◽  
Efl Teacher Education ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Education In Brazil

Globalization brought about many changes to the current society's life and mindset and thus, some new challenges to linguistic education, more specifically, foreign language education, have emerged as a consequence of these changes. This paper aims at reflecting upon some impacts of globalization on pre-service English as Foreign Language (hereafter EFL) teacher education in Brazil. Based on the literature review, the paper addresses the changes in the concepts of language, culture and identity related to cultural hybridity and the impact of new information and communications technology on the use, teaching and learning of foreign languages. It concludes that curricula for EFL teacher education programs in Brazil should be reviewed in order to focus more on glocal knowledge and digital literacy for a 21st century aligned education.

National Standards: Research into practice

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 515-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen W. Glisan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
National Standards ◽  
The Impact

The Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century (SFLL) (National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project [NSFLEP]), originally published in 1996, were envisioned by many as the panacea for providing a new and exciting direction for foreign language education in the United States. The perceived impact of these National K-16 Student Standards has been witnessed throughout more than a decade by scholarly works that have acknowledged their role as ‘a veritable change agent’ (Sharpley-Whiting 1999: 84), ‘a vision for foreign language education in the new century’ (Allen 2002: 518), and, more recently, as ‘a blueprint and framework for change’ (Terry 2009: 17). The research that has been done on the Standards since their inception has attempted to provide concrete ways for the field to embrace this new framework and thereby realize a Standards-based curriculum and perhaps even revolutionize language education. This work has consisted largely of (1) implementational research (both with and without experimental design) that proposes specific strategies for addressing the Standards in planning, teaching, and assessment (Schwartz & Kavanaugh 1997; Abbott & Lear 2010); (2) survey research that analyzes self-reported information regarding teachers' pedagogical beliefs about the Standards and ways in which they claim to be addressing Standards in their classrooms (Allen 2002; ACTFL 2011), and (3) White papers that disseminate opinions and insights by leaders in the field regarding the impact that the Standards are having in areas such as language instruction, curriculum and course design, and educational policy (Sharpley-Whiting 1999; Donato 2009; Glisan 2010).

scholarly journals Diversity, variation and fairness: Equivalence in national level language assessments

Literator ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Weideman ◽  
Colleen Du Plessis ◽  
Sanet Steyn
Keyword(s):  
Tertiary Education ◽  
National Level ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Statutory Body ◽  
Language Assessments ◽  
South African Constitution ◽  
The Impact

The post-1994 South African constitution proudly affirms the language diversity of the country, as do subsequent laws, while ministerial policies, both at further and higher education level, similarly promote the use of all 11 official languages in education. However, such recognition of diversity presents several challenges to accommodate potential variation. In language education at secondary school, which is nationally assessed, the variety being promoted immediately raises issues of fairness and equivalence. The final high-stakes examination of learners’ ability in home language at the exit level of their pre-tertiary education is currently contentious in South Africa. It is known, for example, that in certain indigenous languages, the exit level assessments barely discriminate among learners with different abilities, while in other languages they do. For that reason, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education, Umalusi, has commissioned several reports to attempt to understand the nature of the problem. This article will deal with a discussion of a fourth attempt by Umalusi to solve the problem. That attempt, undertaken by a consortium of four universities, has already delivered six interim reports to this statutory body, and the article will consider some of their content and methodology. In their reconceptualisation of the problem, the applied linguists involved first sought to identify the theoretical roots of the current curriculum in order to articulate more sharply the construct being assessed. That provides the basis for a theoretical justification of the several solutions being proposed, as well as for the preliminary designs of modifications to current, and the introduction of new assessments. The impact of equivalence of measurement as a design requirement will be specifically discussed, with reference to the empirical analyses of results of a number of pilots of equivalent tests in different languages.

scholarly journals THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN ESP: CURRENT PRACTICES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR ESP TEACHER EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
pp. 017
Author(s):  
Elis Kakoulli Constantinou ◽  
Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Republic Of Cyprus ◽  
The Way

Developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have transformed the way people communicate, interact and also the way they learn. ICT tools are widely used in language teaching and learning, and the benefits have been repeatedly expressed in literature. ESP is yet another area of language education that has been affected by these developments. Despite the fact that there are ESP practitioners who utilise technologies in their teaching, more research is needed in order to identify how widely technology tools are used in ESP, so that action is taken to empower practitioners and provide them with the help they need in order to integrate technology in their practices.  This paper reports on the findings of a study conducted among 67 ESP practitioners from Tertiary Education in Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, the data of which were obtained through the use of an electronic questionnaire. The paper aims at examining the profiles of ESP practitioners in Greece and the Republic of Cyprus describing their use of technology (hardware and software) for the preparation and delivery of their courses. Furthermore, it outlines ESP practitioners’ views on the inclusion of a component on the use of technology in ESP teacher education. The paper concludes with suggestions regarding opportunities for professional development on issues related to the integration of ICT tools in ESP teaching and learning.

scholarly journals Community, Connections and Innovation in Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 141-168
Author(s):  
Sandra Healy ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Community Connections ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact

The emergence of the Covid-19 virus had an enormous impact on all of our lives and significantly affected the lives of first-year university students in Japan who began their tertiary education during the initial lockdown. This chapter examines the impact the move online had on these students by analysing videos created by them as part of their academic English as a Foreign Language (EFL) coursework. The videos were analysed, and 12 themes emerged which were used as a foundation for new practices focusing on the development of community and connections in online courses, particularly the use of e-mentors.

scholarly journals Teaching Chinese as a second or foreign language to non-Chinese learners in mainland China (2014–2018)

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang (Frank) Gong ◽  
Xuesong (Andy) Gao ◽  
Boning Lyu
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Chinese Language ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis review involved 60 articles chosen from 336 empirical studies identified in five leading journals on the learning and teaching of Chinese as a second or foreign language in mainland China during the period 2014–2018. The selected studies document Chinese researchers' efforts to improve the teaching and learning of the Chinese language in terms of language pedagogy, language learning and teacher development. We contend that these studies on the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second or foreign language (CSL/CFL) can contribute to the advancement of second/foreign language education theories even though they were largely conducted to address local needs and interests in the Chinese context. Unfortunately, the impact of these studies on international language education research and pedagogical development remains limited and peripheral. For this reason, this review concludes with recommendations for Chinese researchers and journal editors in the field of Chinese language teaching and learning research on how to promote quality empirical research and enhance their contributions to second/foreign language education research.

"Student Evaluations of Teaching and Student Cyberaggression: The Impact of Keyboard Warriors in Tertiary Education"

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Page ◽  
◽  
Jennifer Charteris ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Student Evaluations Of Teaching ◽  
Online Surveys ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Aggressive Behaviours ◽  
The Impact

It is well established that student evaluations of teaching in universities have long been contested. Many see value in them for ongoing improvement and to hold faculty to account for their pedagogical practice. However, the anonymity of these online surveys that permit students enrolled in units to provide feedback on teaching and learning can produce ‘keyboard warriors’. Anonymous surveys can serve to provide a platform for students to engage in cyber-aggressive behaviours that are damaging for staff health and wellbeing and are of a concern to workplace safety. We draw on published results from an existing study of student evaluations of teaching to signal that in the worst instances student evaluations of teaching evoke student cyberaggression.

Promoting student-centred blended learning in higher education: A model

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110277
Author(s):  
Md. Kabirul Islam ◽  
Md. Fouad Hossain Sarker ◽  
M. Saiful Islam
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Asynchronous Mode ◽  
Learning Stage ◽  
Synchronous Mode ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Stage 1

This empirical study is conducted in a blended learning setting of a technology-focused private university in Bangladesh to offer a model that could help attain a comprehensive goal of blended learning. The main objectives of this study are to examine course design in a blended learning setting, strategies adopted by the course teachers to maximize students’ online interactions in a collaborative manner and how well these strategies had an impact on quality of blended teaching and learning in tertiary education. Drawing upon a quasi-experimental approach, qualitative data were collected by observing the teaching and learning activities of a course named ‘Bangladesh Studies’ over a four-month semester. Findings of this study suggest a model that would allow better student–teacher interaction in both synchronous and asynchronous modes of teaching and learning based on three sequential stages such as referring to and discussing online peer-group comments in the regular face-to-face classes in asynchronous mode (stage 1), off-campus synchronous mode of interactions to utilize students’ personal study hours (stage 2) and off-campus asynchronous mode of interactions to offer flexibility for collaborative learning (stage 3). It is argued that the model that has been offered could be useful in promoting innovative and contextual pedagogy which will essentially involve students in sharing, interacting and collaborating discussions for knowledge construction and hereby enable overall cognitive development of students in a blended learning environment.

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