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 STRESSING, PRONUNCIATION, AND SPEAKING EXERCISES IN “PATHWAY TO ENGLISH” TEXTBOOK

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-50
Author(s):  
Harsya Danang Pradana
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
High Schools ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Content Analysis Method ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

Abstract: The aim of this research is to investigate how the “Pathway to English” textbook facilitates students’ learning of speaking, specifically in pronunciation and stressing of words. Learning the English language involves four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. As such, textbooks need to be equipped to facilitate the teaching of these skills. However, globalization and the change in what types of English is accepted in broader world contexts may make the textbook obsolete. To see if the textbooks used in Indonesian High Schools are adequate enough to facilitate the teaching of stressing, pronunciation, and speaking, the researcher studied the “Pathway to English” textbook using a content analysis method to see if it has the necessary contents to facilitate the learning of stressing, pronunciation, and speaking. The results of this study shows that the textbook is inadequate to facilitate the learning of pronunciation and stressing, but it is equipped to facilitate the teaching of general English speaking skills. This means that English teachers in High Schools of Indonesia are expected to use supporting media to teach pronunciation and stressing when using the textbook.Keywords: Pathway to English; textbook; speaking; stressing; pronunciation

scholarly journals Synchronizing the Primary Language Skills for Effective Communication

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-285
Author(s):  
Queen Ugochi Njemanze ◽  
Mark chitulu Ononiwu
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Primary Language ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Communication Program ◽  
Comprehensive Knowledge ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

The primary language skills; listening and speaking skills are interrelated and unique language activities embedded in communication.The basic need for humans to engage in communication involves having a comprehensive knowledge and command of the language skills; listeneing, speaking, reading and writing. The processes of listening and speaking form the major focus of attention in this research. It require the individuals involved to speak eloquently and listen attentively. It makes them think critically, react confidently and respond appropriately to a communication programme. This paper therfore aims at highlighting listening and speaking skills as language skills that promote proficiency in English language communicaiton. Thus study discovered that the combinations of these skills consolidates the meaning in syllabications, stress and intonation in a communication program and as well reduce the complexities of effective communication.

scholarly journals Secondary English Language Teacher Capacity: Insights From Bangladesh

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Shakila Nur
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
English Education ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teacher Capacity ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Secondary English

Like other developing, non-English speaking countries in Asia, Bangladesh has shown a phenomenal attention towards English education through the school curriculum. The attention is demonstrated by revisiting and revising pertinent curriculum, personnel, materials, methods, and assessment policies of English education. This paper, within an exploratory, qualitative case study paradigm offers a modest, interpretive inquiry into secondary English teacher capacity, in terms of their recruitment, training and class performance. The data were collected from semi-structured interviews with secondary English teachers, school principals and teacher trainers, and classroom observations of secondary English teachers. The findings identified a set of generic issues around secondary English teacher capacity. These included inadequate provision of teachers, stigmatised practice of teacher recruitment, limited attention to teacher training and their impacts on the overall quality of English education. Reflecting upon the findings, the paper concludes with a set of recommendations for secondary English personnel policy and practice, which could be a point of reference for Bangladesh and beyond.

scholarly journals The peace tree in ELT: A problematizing exploration

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-57
Author(s):  
Yeraldine Aldana Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Situated Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Alternative Reading

The English language teaching (ELT) field has undergone transformations regarding its views on knowledge and language. Although instrumental perspectives situate English teachers in a passive, receptive and technical position, their research and pedagogical work displays an interest in extracurricular phenomena about Peace Construction (PC) in ELT. This qualitative exploratory study aimed at unveiling possible connections between PC and ELT in Colombia. Documental revision and semi-structured interviews were applied with 4 English teachers. Findings discuss an organic metaphor as facilitating “teachers’ situated knowledge construction” (Serna, 2018, p. 585). Thus, a critical reflection is developed on how ELT and PC may articulate one another towards an alternative reading on their possible relationality or the reduction of the canonical distance imagined between these two fields, in order to acknowledge their interconnection. Conclusions around the multifaceted transdisciplinary ELT field are presented.

scholarly journals Teaching English in India —The Use of Technologically Enhanced Realia in the Classroom

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Priya K. Nair
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Job Market ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

In India acquisition of English language is imperative if one wants to sell oneself in the increasingly competitive job market. With a booming population the nation is filled with educated, technologically literate youth. English is not merely a foreign language in India. As India is separated by a plethora of languages knowledge of English is imperative. As the teachers in India are not native speakers of English the language they teach is not free from errors. The articulation is quite problematic as the mother tongue influence is quite pronounced. Technology helps to reduce these errors. Movies as a tool can enhance the listening and speaking skills of our students. It is quite boring to work with disembodied voices and the recorded conversations available in language labs do not sustain the learner’s interest. However learners are often forced to listen to recorded conversations of people they never see, the conversation is often stilted and contemporary idiom is hardly used. However, a completely new dimension to aural practice can be added in the classroom by using movies. <br /><p><strong> </strong></p>

scholarly journals Educational Policy: Voices from Local English Teachers and Students towards National Exam in Yogyakarta

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Laser Romios ◽  
Nindya Primandita ◽  
Novilda Angela Saragih
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
School Level ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The Government

<p class="AbstractText">This study is aimed at exploring the voices of English teachers and students of a state senior high school towards the National Exam policy and its implementation in Indonesia. Several theories of psychology and language learning were applied in this study as the theoretical framework. This study used a descriptive qualitative method. The participants were chosen by purposive sampling technique. The data for this study were garnered through a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) conducted to the selected twelfth-grade students and semi-structured interviews done to two English teachers. Both data were analyzed descriptively. Upon the analysis, two paramount themes prevailed: (1) the negative response towards the implementation and accuracy of National Exam (NE) policy in Indonesia; and (2) unintended impacts of NE policy on teaching and learning activity, students’ motivation, and English Language Learning and Curriculum. This study offers information for the government as the policymaker, school leaders, teachers, and researchers to understand how the NE is implemented at the school level.</p>

scholarly journals Skype technologies in developing listening and speaking skills when teaching English to tour guides

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 447-458
Author(s):  
Anna V. Pushkina ◽  
◽  
Lyudmila V. Krivoshlykova ◽  
Elena V. Larina ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
English Language ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Moscow School ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the need for the formation and development of listening and speaking skills, which are crucial for guides-translators who use English in work with foreign tourists and require constant improvement. It is the distance learning format that allows you to improve your professional language level. The purpose of the study is to develop a model for on-line teaching guides the English language employing Skype technologies. Methodology. The key research methods were the method of a needs analysis (questionnaires and interviews) and a pedagogical experiment. Questionnaires, interviews and testing allowed selecting the participants of the experiment who demonstrated high motivation to study online and confirmed their B1-B2 level of English. The experiment, which took place on the basis of the Moscow School of Tourism and Hospitality "Tour Center", involved two groups of 14 people each. Using a learner-centered approach we created a twelve-week Skype-based English course, which correlated with the professional training syllabus of the participants of the experiment. Results. The results of the final testing and interview showed that this technique with the use of Skype technologies is effective and contributes to the further formation and development of speaking and listening skills. The number of students experiencing difficulty demonstrating these skills decreased from 55% to 22% and 60% to 30%, respectively. In addition, the approbation of the developed model revealed the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning in general and Skype technologies in particular. Conclusion. The study showed the high efficiency of Skype-technologies in teaching English for special purposes as part of an additional educational course. The developed methodology can be used in the process of practice-oriented training aimed at forming the professional competencies of future specialists.

scholarly journals Quality Teaching Practice: Value Education in the Language Classroom

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tan Yuan Yi ◽  
Norhanim Abdul Samat
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Classroom

The latest Malaysian Educational Blueprint (2013-2025) asserts the importance of producing value-driven Malaysians through education. English language teaching should be aimed beyond producing more proficient users as it possesses a nature that is particularly suitable for value incorporation. This research aims to investigate how English teachers communicate values to students, the kinds of values communicated and whether the values communicated are stipulated by the Ministry of Education. This research utilized a qualitative case study approach on two respondents, an experienced English teacher and a novice English teacher. Their lessons were videotaped, transcribed and coded based on a set of established analysis tool. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted to further understand the values depicted by the respondents. The results of the research show that teachers consciously incorporated values through selected topics, tasks and explicit moral statements. They subconsciously transmitted values through classroom rules and regulations, curricular substructures and expressive morality. It is found in this research that teachers applied much more subconscious approaches to communicate values than that of conscious ones during teacher-student encounter, with classroom facilitation being used as the medium most frequently. The kinds of values communicated included spiritual, intellectual, esthetical, positive, interactional, citizen, economical and modernized values. About half of the values communicated were stipulated by the Ministry of Education. This research provides new insights into how Malaysian English teachers can improve the quality of their teaching by harnessing the full potential of a language classroom to educate values.

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

A Case Study on Pre-Service English Teachers' Perceptions of Self-Efficacy and Integration of Information-Communication Technologies

2019 ◽  
pp. 274-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilknur Istifci
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Comparison Method ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Teacher Education ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

The aim of this study is to find out pre-service English language teachers' ICT self-efficacy perceptions and ICT integration in their lessons. The data were collected from 60 pre-service English teachers in one of the state universities in Turkey via a questionnaire developed by Ekici, Ekici, and Kara. Semi-structured interviews were also carried out with some volunteering pre-service teachers. The questionnaire data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 22). Interview data were analyzed finding emerging themes and categorizing them using constant comparison method. The results showed that they use ICTs in their lessons mostly especially in practicum or macro and micro teaching sessions and they have high self-efficacy on ICT use in language education. Results also revealed some problems they encounter while using ICTs in language teacher education and their suggestions on how to improve their use. Based on the results, certain implications were drawn from the study in order to organize future teacher education programs that utilize ICTs.

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