scholarly journals Technology in ELT: Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perception towards Using Fotobabble in English Classes

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 25-30
Author(s):  
Hamid Ashraf ◽  
Bahman Kazemi ◽  
Sara Kazemi
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Effective Teaching And Learning

Teaching with technology has gained attention around the globe and internet use has become an integral part of teaching. Web- based tools are used in language classes to enhance interaction among learners and increase learning and teaching opportunity. Thus, the aims of this study are to introduce fotobabble which is a web tool that can be used in English language classes for teaching purposes, and to know the Iranian EFL teachers’ perception towards it. To collect data, 30 EFL teachers teaching at schools and private English institutes were randomly selected and their attitudes and opinions were investigated through semi- structured interviews. The participants were sent via telegram and e- mail an informative text about fotobabble and then were asked to talk about their opinions about its benefits and merits in language classes. The collected qualitative data was analyzed by means of content analysis and it was revealed that the majority of Iranian EFL teachers had a positive attitude towards the use of this web- based tool in their classes; however, a few number of teachers shared their concerns about its application in English classes. It is believed that studies about technology use in classes can help increase effective teaching and learning.

Blended learning: Barriers and drawbacks for English language lecturers at Vietnamese universities

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110482
Author(s):  
Thi Nguyet Le ◽  
Bill Allen ◽  
Nicola F Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Learning Barriers ◽  
Teaching Time

Although blended learning (BL) has emerged as one of the most dominant delivery modes in higher education in the 21st century, there are notable barriers and drawbacks in using BL for English language teaching and learning in Vietnamese universities. This study reports on research into the use of BL, conducted through semi-structured interviews with 30 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturers from 10 different universities across the two major cities of Vietnam. The findings revealed that EFL lecturers identified eight groups of barriers and four groups of drawbacks to the successful implementation of BL. The most significant barriers included: lack of infrastructure and technology, institutional policies and support; lack of knowledge, experience and investment in using BL; lack of technological competence and information technology (IT) skills and lack of teaching time to employ web-based technologies and online resources in classrooms. Meanwhile, the most crucial drawbacks were: lecturers’ workload, ineffective use of BL, time consumption and demotivation. The authors point to the underlying factors contributing to these barriers and drawbacks and make implications for how some of these can be effectively addressed through constructive changes to policy and practice.

scholarly journals EFL teachers� beliefs and practices about digital learning of English

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 304
Author(s):  
Arif Nugroho ◽  
Ira Mutiaraningrum
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

The last two decades have been the witness of many studies reporting the disparity between EFL teachers� beliefs and practices in technology integration around the world. Notwithstanding the enormous studies on EFL teachers� beliefs and perceptions of digital technology use for language classroom, the literature has still been silent on the relation between Indonesian EFL teachers� beliefs and practices. The present study thus sheds some light on 15 EFL teachers� beliefs and practices about digital learning of English in Indonesia. Drawing on data from the written reflections and semi-structured interviews, the findings revealed that these EFL teachers were well equipped with the importance and objective of teaching English by means of digital devices, but appeared hesitant and lacked of preparation in their teaching practices. The semi-structured interview further depicted that their unconfident and lack of preparation was not only a result of inadequate training but also of limited resources and digital facilitation. The institutional supports influenced by environmental readiness also affected their efficacy for digital learning of English. The findings contribute to the realm of English language teaching with regards to offering literature of EFL teachers� professional development.

scholarly journals Information and Communication Technology in Foreign Language Classes in English: Roles and Practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-55
Author(s):  
Pitambar Paudel
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
The Government

Teaching and learning process in 21st century has been embedded with technology. Use of ICTs plays crucial role in ameliorating knowledge acquisition in general and enhancing English Language mastering in particular. The government of Nepal has made provision of integrating ICTs in school education with the aim of enhancing quality education and make both teachers and learners confidence and competitive in the present global world. In this context, this research intended to investigate roles and practices of ICTs at English as Foreign language classes (EFL) of Nepal. To achieve the objective, explanatory sequential mixed research design was adopted. Survey questionnaire, unstructured interview and non-participant observation were used to as the tools of data collection and forty secondary English teachers (20 from public schools & 20 from private schools) were the sample population. Two datasets; quantitative and qualitative were collected and analyzed sequentially. The findings of the research reveal that majority of the teachers were positive towards roles of ICTs in language teaching even they were doubt if ICTs could develop creative and critical abilities of the students. Though the teachers practiced ICTs in their classes, they felt discomfort in using new ICT tools and applications. The findings imply that teachers should be given training on ICT use for building up their skills; knowledge and confidence to achieve optimum advantages form it.

scholarly journals The Effect of the Learning Targets on Assessment Tasks

2018 ◽  
Vol 224 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-146
Author(s):  
Kawthar Hameed Fadhil
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cognitive Domain ◽  
Academic Goals ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Learning Standards ◽  
Assessment Tasks ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Integral Role

      Before starting teaching, teachers must establish the needs of the learners and this could be done best by determining or recognizing the learning targets which should be clearly stated and there should be matching between the learning targets and the assessment tasks. Learning targets are the interim academic goals that teachers establish for students who are working toward meeting more comprehensive learning standards.         Despite the importance of the learning targets in leaning and teaching in general and for assessemnet tasks in particular  , most teachers donot realize this or ignore it  or may be donot know how to write learning targets and matching them with the assessment tasks. This study is an attempt to present a framework for understanding  the importance of learning targets  where they play an integral role in teaching and learning and in assessment tasks .The study also tries to draw the intention to an important view which is involving students by sharing them the learning targets and self assessment.      Consequently ,the major aims of this study are to : 1.explore the effect of learning  targets on assessment tasks and to present a model of writibg learning targets according to Bloom’s cognitive domain and machibg them with the assessment tasks.      In order to achieve the aims of the study , the following procedures are going to be followed  : 1.carry out theoretical review related to learning targets and assessment  ,providing satisfactory definitions and identifying types  and  the  importance of them , 2.survey the most prominent taxonomies for educational targets , 3.investigate the effect of learning targets on assessment tasks, 4.apply Bloom’s taxonomy to write a model of matching learning targets with the assessment tasks.        It is hoped that this study will be beneficial to EFL teachers of English language since it deals with two important points that affect the process of learning and teaching :the leaning targets and assessment which fall under applied linguistics.

Mobile Technologies Course Design

2020 ◽  
pp. 232-256
Author(s):  
Ozlem Zengin
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ict Skills ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Study Participants

Mobile learning has the potential to increase the opportunities to make teaching and learning available beyond the traditional classroom. The main aim of this study was to develop a mobile technologies course delivered online and explore the effects of this online course designed on mobile technologies on the use of ICT skills, attitudes, and views of EFL instructors. While employing mixed methodology, explanatory sequential research design was applied. In this study, participants were selected through convenient sampling and the data were collated through a questionnaire used as pre- and post-tests, followed by semi-structured interviews and class observations. The results of this study indicated that the online training course on mobile technologies had a positive impact on the use of ICT skills and EFL teachers' views in general. Further, attending the mobile technologies course delivered online was very beneficial and effective for the instructors in that it helped them to develop their skills on the use of mobile technologies in English language teaching.

scholarly journals Exploring the Role of Training in Promoting Students’ Peer-Feedback Including Critical Peer-Feedback

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Kaya ◽  
Zeynep Yaprak
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Critical Feedback

The question of how critical-thinking skills could be integrated into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pedagogy has been one of the main concerns in the field of language teaching and learning as they have a great potential to increase the quality of learning and teaching. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether training based on peer feedback, including critical feedback, contributes to participants’ peer feedback and critical feedback performances. The participants, who were undergraduate English Language Teaching (ELT) students (n = 40), were exposed to an 8-week training program in which several feedback criteria, including critical ones, were introduced to them. Data obtained from the participants’ pre-test and post-test peer feedback performances and semi-structured interviews were analyzed by using SPSS and content analysis, respectively. The results revealed that the training improved performance in providing peer feedback, including critical peer feedback. Finally, learners reported satisfaction with the training program, although some challenges were encountered in the process.

scholarly journals LEARNER MOTIVATION IN THE EFL CLASSROOMS: VOICES FROM A BANGLADESHI UNIVERSITY

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takad Ahmed Chowdhury ◽  
Sarbani Roy ◽  
Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
English Classes

English proficiency is considered a door opener almost in any field anywhere in the world, yet all the attempts to improve effectiveness of teaching and learning of English language in Bangladesh seem to fail over decades. Although poor learning motivation is counted as a key aspect why students do not hold their attention to their English classes and make use of their capabilities to understand and learn cognitively, there has been a very limited number of studies in Bangladeshi context to deal with this critical issue. This mixed method study attempted to identify the sources of motivation for attending English classes of the 1st year undergraduate students at a Bangladeshi university. Quantitative data was collected using two close-ended questionnaires from 50 randomly selected Bangladeshi tertiary level English language learners and 10 teachers. The student questionnaire was developed by adding three items with the ten items adapted from Clement et al. (1994) and the teachers questionnaire was developed and administered to follow up the findings from the student participants. For a more complete analysis, structured interviews were conducted with 10 purposively selected students. The results indicated lack of intrinsic motivation among the learners, and based on the existing literature, the study recommended the way outs to improve motivation of the non-performing learners. The recommendations included, shifting from exam-oriented assessment system, teachers’ reflection of their own teaching practices, redesigning course curricula based on learning need and learners’ expectations, ensuring easy access to the latest educational facilities, and encouraging the roles of students and their peers to develop learners’ motivation and foster their autonomous learning opportunities. Finally, the limitations are drawn and suggestions for further research are provided.

scholarly journals The Effects of Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures in Teaching Subject–Verb Agreement among Rural Sarawak Learners

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chong Xin Txin ◽  
Melor Md Yunus
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cooperative Teaching ◽  
Verb Agreement

Even after undertaking years of formal education to acquire the language in schools, having a poor command of English remains a problem faced by most Malaysians, especially students in rural schools of Sarawak. Based on the error-analysis carried out by recent research, subject–verb agreement (SVA) is one of the most frequent errors committed by students. To overcome this problem, teachers should significantly improve students’ mastery of SVA in the English language through effective teaching methods. Therefore, this research was conducted to explore the effects of Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures in teaching SVA among rural Sarawak learners. In this study, 35 Form 4 students were selected from a secondary school in the Belaga District, Sarawak as the research participants. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used as data collection tools. Overall, findings demonstrated that students showed positive feedback after the intervention was implemented. Results of this research will hopefully provide insights to secondary school students, teachers and the community in the cooperative teaching and learning of grammar.

scholarly journals Indonesian Teachers’ Perceived Technology Literacy for Enabling Technology-Enhanced English Instruction

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 18-35
Author(s):  
Eugenie Mainake ◽  
Shannon M McCrocklin
Keyword(s):  
High Schools ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
School Facilities ◽  
Technology Literacy ◽  
Teacher Preparedness ◽  
Public High Schools ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ongoing Training ◽  
Efl Teachers

Today, technology plays a pivotal role in language teaching and many teachers are expected to integrate technology into their instruction. Although studies have shown positive results from the incorporation of technology into language learning, many studies have also raised concerns about lack of teacher preparedness to teach with technology. Grounded in the TPACK Framework developed by Koehler and Mishra (2006), the present study examines teachers’ technology literacy for supporting technology-enhanced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction in Maluku, Eastern Indonesia. The participants (n=43) were EFL teachers at public high schools and vocational high schools in Maluku. The data were collected using an online TPACK questionnaire (Schmidt et al. 2009) and semi-structured interviews with EFL teachers. The findings showed teachers’ awareness of the significance of technology use in their EFL instruction. Teachers acknowledged a handful of tools already deployed to improve English skills inside and beyond classrooms, but noted needs for effective CALL enactment, such as continued training and accessible technologies. Based on the findings, recommendations include the provision of training modules for ongoing training of in-service teachers and improved school facilities.

scholarly journals English Language Learning Demotivating Factors for Saudi High School EFL Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Raneem Alyousif ◽  
Zainab Alsuhaibani
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Students

Demotivating factors are one of the sources that can reduce students’ motivation toward language learning. This study investigated language learning demotivating factors among high school EFL students. It also explored the educational implications and recommendations for promoting EFL students’ motivation from teachers’ perspectives. A total of 365 Saudi high school EFL students and 18 secondary English language teachers from six public schools participated in the study. The data of the study were collected via two research instruments: a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with students and teachers. The results revealed that subject- related and teacher-related demotivating factors were the most reported demotivating factors for Saudi high school EFL students. The results also showed that lack of interesting topics, lack of activities for practicing English, overemphasis on grammar, and incompetence of teachers were the most demotivating factors for EFL students toward English learning. Moreover, several recommendations for promoting students’ motivation have been suggested by teachers such as technology use, extrinsic motivation and encouragement, and competitive and collaborative work. 

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