scholarly journals E-LEARNING AND EFL TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE: AN ANALYSIS OF BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES

Akademika ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 197-217
Author(s):  
Nurul Hasanah ◽  
Tryanti R Abdulrahman
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
E Learning

This proposed research is aimed to find out to what extent can an online course in intercultural communication influence English language teachers’ intercultural competence and their perception of intercultural communication hence aid in the development of intercultural awareness in an expanding circle university setting. This study is a first step to hold to find out teachers’ intercultural competence after they took online course on language and culture or intercultural communication and explore their perspectives. This study used qualitative method using interview to gain the result. There are three lecturers who are participants of this study. Findings revealed various factors and effect of the online cultural training in developing teachers’ intercultural communicative competence. Several similarities and differences of the participants’ perception and critical evaluation of e-learning and intercultural competence were also found in this study. The advanced development of e-learning platform enables participants to learn many things, share cultural values, having and strengthen their intercultural competence as well as expanding their network for professional development. This study provides benefits and challenges faced by participants during the training. The most common problem they face is internet connection.

scholarly journals Culture and complexity through English as a lingua franca: rethinking competences and pedagogy in ELT

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Baker
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Meaningful Category

AbstractEnglish as a lingua franca (ELF) research highlights the complexity and fluidity of culture in intercultural communication through English. ELF users draw on, construct, and move between global, national, and local orientations towards cultural characterisations. Thus, the relationship between language and culture is best approached as situated and emergent. However, this has challenged previous representations of culture, particularly those centred predominantly on nation states, which are prevalent in English language teaching (ELT) practices and the associated conceptions of communicative and intercultural communicative competence. Two key questions which are then brought to the fore are: how are we to best understand such multifarious characterisations of culture in intercultural communication through ELF and what implications, if any, does this have for ELT and the teaching of culture in language teaching? In relation to the first question, this paper will discuss how complexity theory offers a framework for understanding culture as a constantly changing but nonetheless meaningful category in ELF research, whilst avoiding essentialism and reductionism. This underpins the response to the second question, whereby any formulations of intercultural competence offered as an aim in language pedagogy must also eschew these simplistic and essentialist cultural characterisations. Furthermore, the manner of simplification prevalent in approaches to culture in the ELT language classroom will be critically questioned. It will be argued that such simplification easily leads into essentialist representations of language and culture in ELT and an over representation of “Anglophone cultures.” The paper will conclude with a number of suggestions and examples for how such complex understandings of culture and language through ELF can be meaningfully incorporated into pedagogic practice.

scholarly journals Interculturality in English Language Teaching – A Small Study with Portuguese Teachers

e-TEALS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-125
Author(s):  
Ana Ponce de Leão
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

Abstract UNESCO and many other organisations worldwide have been working on approaches in education to develop tolerance, respect for cultural diversity, and intercultural dialogue. Particularly, the Council of Europe has laid out guiding principles in several documents to promote intercultural competence, following Byram’s and Zarate’s efforts in integrating this important component in language education. The commitment to developing the notion of intercultural competence has been so influential that many countries, e.g., Portugal, have established the intercultural domain as a goal in the foreign language curricula. However, this commitment has been questioned by researchers worldwide who consider that action is needed to effectively promote intercultural competence. The research coordinated by Sercu, for example, suggests that, although foreign language teachers are willing to comply with an intercultural dimension, their profile is more compatible with that of a traditional foreign language teacher, rather than with a foreign language teacher, who promotes intercultural communicative competence. In this study, I propose to examine teachers’ perceptions and beliefs about intercultural communicative competence in a cluster of schools in Portugal and compare these findings with Sercu’s study. Despite a twelve-year gap, the present study draws similar conclusions.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE OF STUDENTS STUDING ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN PROFESSIONAL PRE-HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

2020 ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Yu. V. Losieva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
English Language ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Cultural Component ◽  
Country Specific

In the article essence of the concept “sociocultural competense”, certain theoretical principles of its forming and development are analysed and described; the developing system of sociocultural competense is studied; also the complex of tasks for students of pre-higher education is worked out. The linguistic, unlinguistic and country-specific components of sociocultural competence are characterized. It is proved that students should know about the geographical location and economic condition, historical development and features of cultural values of the country, the language they are studying in order to have a foreign socio-cultural competence. In our research we conclude that the structure of socio-cultural competence consists of communicative (balancing existing language forms, which are determined based on the linguistic competence of the communicant on the background of certain social functions), country-specific (set of knowledge about the country whose language is studied), linguistics (to carry out intercultural communication based on knowledge of lexical units with the national-cultural component of semantics and skills of their adequate application in situations of intercultural communication) and sociolinguistic competence (ability to use the rules of delicate speech in communication). Thus, students expand their outlook and work on adequate perception of cultural features of native speakers, their habits, traditions, norms of behavior, etiquette and the ability to understand and use them in intercultural communication. It is proved that for the formation of socio-cultural competence in English classes in pre-higher education institutions students must learn about the achievements of national culture in the development of universal culture and thus enter into a dialogue of cultures, teachers should use certain exercises to develop such skills.

scholarly journals E-Learning Tutoring System for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) English

2018 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 05001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munirah Mohd Yusof ◽  
Ng Lee Wah ◽  
Rozlini Mohamed ◽  
Muhaini Othman
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Tutoring System ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Printing Cost ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Student’S Performance ◽  
Printed Materials ◽  
The Individual ◽  
English Subject

An E-Learning tutoring system for English (SPM) is an e-learning platform for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia English subject. E-learning is a web based application that supports the delivery of learning, skills and knowledge related to the English subject in SPM. E-learning use the technology to enable people to learn anytime and anywhere. Besides, it is developed with the purpose to evaluate student’s performance through an online quiz. Nowadays, tuition center have a lot of students, hence insufficient time to analyze the individual performance in learning English. In addition, e-learning is able to reduce the printing cost and administrative cost at the same time reducing usage of paper and printed materials associate in learning. The system developed by using Javascript and PHP language based on system prototyping methodology. The result will produce student’s performance in monthly quiz and teacher are able to monitor the performance of each students. Although the development or this e-learning is based on requirement gathered via tuition center, however it can be proposed to be by any learning center or to self-study. It is hoped that this e-learning will be able to improve student knowledge in English language and subsequently help student to obtain the best result in SPM by providing more guided references and practices.

scholarly journals Development and Use of Moodle for Online Student Support

2013 ◽  
pp. 196-207
Author(s):  
Moira Hobbs ◽  
Yvonne Hynson
Keyword(s):  
Language Teachers ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
Online Student ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The World ◽  
Educational Climate ◽  
E Learning

In the current educational climate in the world today, there is an increasing use of technology and social media for learning, by both students and language teachers. With this in mind, and to meet the perceived associated need for students to have increasing abilities and skills to study autonomously and independently, a new e-learning platform (Moodle) was introduced to Unitec, a tertiary institution in Auckland, New Zealand. This paper describes how the Moodle site has been developed since inception and how it is used within the Department of Language Studies to facilitate both English as an Additional Language (EAL) for online support and for the development of autonomy.

scholarly journals Investigating E-Learning Readiness During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Malaysian ESL Teachers: What are the Limitations of Current Scales?

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-46
Author(s):  
Asmaa AlSaqqaf ◽  
Hu Ke
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Learning Readiness ◽  
Technological Readiness ◽  
E Learning ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Technological Skills ◽  
The Government

The quick spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe has seriously affected all aspects of individuals’ lives including the educational sector. In response to this pandemic in Malaysia, the government implemented a Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18 March 2020, where the whole country was put on lockdown. Yet, the teaching and learning activities had to continue during this period, a process that was carried out through a full reliance on e-learning. This paper attempted to investigate the level of e-learning technological readiness among English language teachers to utilize e-learning in teaching during the MCO in Malaysia. A total of 68 English language teachers responded to an online cross-sectional survey that measured technological skills readiness based on Chapnick’s (2000) e-learning readiness model. Results showed that during the MCO in Malaysia, English language teachers were technologically ready to use e-learning in teaching. However, these findings contradict the latest reports that highlight a number of challenges faced by Malaysian teachers in conducting online classes. This inconsistency could be attributed to the limitations identified in the existing e-learning surveys and questionnaires that deal with extremely limited aspects of technological readiness. Hence, this research stresses the urgent need to develop up-to-date scales that can comprehensively address the various aspects of the advanced technological skills that should be mastered by teachers and educators, especially in this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0).

scholarly journals Experiences of Timorese language teachers in a blended Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Open Praxis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monty King ◽  
Bernadete Luan ◽  
Esperança Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Course Content ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Institute

This paper details the experiences of a group of Timorese English language teachers from Lorosa’e English Language Institute (LELI) in Dili, Timor-Leste, who participated in a professional development MOOC entitled Teaching for Success: Lessons and Teaching between March and April 2017. Drawing on the pedagogical principles of blended learning; participants engaged with online course content, and once a week met as a study group to view some video content together and discuss issues arising from it. The authors draw on participant observation, individual and focus group interviews and post-course author reflections to outline the benefits and challenges of doing blended MOOCs in Dili, and propose that they can provide local English language teachers opportunities for subject area knowledge building, language literacy development and more general lifelong learning.

scholarly journals STUDENTS’ CHALLENGES IN LITERATURE COURSES ONLINE LEARNING: STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS CASE STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
I.G.A. Lokita Purnamika Utami ◽  
Putu Eka Dambayana Suputra ◽  
Ida Ayu Gede Juliana Dewi
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Feature Assignment

This research aimed at investigating the challenges encountered by the students when utilizing Undiksha Moodle E-learning in online learning of literature courses. The research used embedded mixed method case study with qualitative dominant in collecting the data. The research subjects were students of English Language Education (ELE) who learned Literature courses by using Undiksha Moodle E-Learning platform. Questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide were used by the researcher as the instruments. The result of this study shows that there were 5 challenges encountered by the students in operating Undiksha Moodle E-learning platform which could be categorized into two namely internal and external challenges. The internal challenges were the absence of some features such as video conference feature, assignment pop-up reminder feature, the occurrence of server crash and the external challenges was the inequality of internet connection quality

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