scholarly journals THE TOOL FOR SCHOOL LEADERS IN MEASURING CLIMATE FACTORS FOR BETTER EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 50-61
Author(s):  
Bridget Lim Suk Han

Different schools that are nestled in different locality possess different climate factors. For this paper, it emphasizes mainly on how climate factors of a school influence pupils and teachers in the teaching and learning processes in the English language. The case site is a low-performing rural primary school in a bucolic setting in the state of Sabah which is 130km away from the nearest urban centre. The main purpose of this paper is to delineate the building of an instrument as a tool for school leaders to start analysing climate factors for better educational improvement. There are four general concepts depicted under the climate factors – physical environment, social relationship/system, orderliness, and expectations on student outcomes (and teacher behaviours). To ensure a more holistic measurement of these indicators, five measurement dimensions – frequency, focus, stage, differentiation, and quality are adopted. Sources of data are from various data collection methods namely peripheral observation, classroom observation, classroom participation, formal interview, conversational interview, focus group interview as well as documents. Multiple sources of data ascertain triangulation and better trustworthiness of the data to facilitate the building of a comprehensive instrument with wide-ranging constructs. This instrument can be used as a self-evaluation guide for school leaders to further understand the weaknesses as well as strengths of their schools. Through the synthesis of the data collected using this instrument, it has facilitated clear discernment of the capacities for the case school under-investigated and how the roles of financial, human, time, and programme capacity affect the pupils’ performance in the English Language.

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 798-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Encarnacion Garza, Jr ◽  
Lawrie Drysdale ◽  
David Gurr ◽  
Stephen Jacobson ◽  
Betty Merchant

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine four case studies from the International Successful School Principalship Project to explore and highlight how the role of the principal is critically important to sustaining school success. Implications for improving the preparation of aspiring and practicing school leaders are discussed. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using multiple sources, including documents and interviews with a variety of people including the principal, other school leaders, teachers, school council/board members, parents and students. Each case study was analyzed to understand how the principal and other leadership contributed to school success. Findings – There were several core dimensions of the principals’ leadership that led to sustained school success. Principals clearly articulated views on education and helped their schools set appropriate directions. They were all concerned with the professional development of teachers to build capacity and teacher leadership. All principals were instructional leaders who influenced teaching and learning and were committed to making a difference. They exhibited other qualities such as resilience and their motivation to sustain their efforts over time. Another important dimension was building community. These principals reached out to their communities. They clearly understood that they could not succeed in isolation. Originality/value – The notion of sustainability in education remains ambiguous and this paper provides some empirical evidence of how successful school principals maintain school success over an extended period. Importantly, it considers how aspirant and practicing principals can be developed and supported in their efforts to lead and sustain successful schools.


10.47908/9/8 ◽  
2013 ◽  
pp. 153-169
Author(s):  
Anja Burkert

In this practice-oriented paper I will report on how I personally try to develop and promote the autonomy of my students in my English language classes at Graz University. I will begin by pointing out a number of constraints with which I am faced in my particular teaching and learning context, and which, at first sight, seem to rule out the establishment of a learner-centred classroom environment involving students actively in relevant decision-making processes. I will then discuss, in some detail, those aspects of a pedagogy for autonomy which I have been introducing over the years to encourage my students to take on a more active role in their learning: learner diaries, peer-reviewing sessions, a seating arrangement in groups of four, and self-evaluation tasks/progress checks before exams. I will also reproduce in my paper short extracts from learner diaries and peer-reviewed texts produced by my students, and an example of a self-evaluation task/progress check. I will conclude by stressing that for me personally the discovery of the concept of learner autonomy was an invaluable experience, influencing my whole approach to teaching and learning.


Author(s):  
Mangasa Aritonang

This research paper investigates the motivation and confidence of Indonesian teachers of non-English to learn English and to use it as a medium of instruction resulting from their participation in a blended learning course. The purpose of the English learning for this particular group of teachers was to enable them to create English-speaking teaching and learning environment. Such environment is perceived as necessary to enhance English language learning and acquisition in some Indonesian vocational schools. The levels of motivation and confidence have been an issue because they potentially either contribute to or hinder English language learners to learn and use English for interactions. This qualitative research was undertaken using an interpretive research paradigm and a case study approach. Qualitative research data were collected from multiple sources such as indepth interviews, observation notes, online interaction script, and reflective journals of the participants. Quantitative data were collected through surveys to add meaning to the qualitative data. The research revealed varying increase in the levels of motivation and confidence of the participants. Transformation of extrinsic to intrinsic motivations appeared to occur. Contributing factors to the increase of the motivation and confidence are discussed in this paper.


Author(s):  
Dentik Karyaningsih ◽  
Puji Siswanto

Lecture courses in the English Language Education Study Program of STKIP Setiabudhi Rangkasbitung are still conducted in face-to-face class, so the students who do not attend lectures cannot know the pronunciation material at that time, because the Pronunciation course is a practical course in the English pronunciation system. The E-Learning Pronunciation is built so that lectures can be carried out anywhere and anytime without reducing the quality of the teaching and learning process. Therefore, the students who are left behind can continue to follow the Pronunciation course material, as well as habituating students in utilizing communication and information technology. E-Learning Pronunciation is important to be built to improve the ability of students’ pronunciation when doing distance learning, so that students are clearer and more firm in understanding Pronunciation so that there are no errors in English pronunciation. Participants in this study were first semester students of English education study programs. This study uses an experimental research design with the Prototype System development method and system of testing uses Black box testing.


Author(s):  
Л. Е. Бєловецька

The problem of external independent evaluation in English for admission Master`s degree programs in Ukraine is considered in the article. The perspective for further improvement of English teaching and learning standards at Ukrainian universities has been found. The correspondence to the CEFR basic levels and English proficiency has been identified. Conceptual Principles of State Policy on the Development of English in the Field of Higher Education are considered. The study included 1546 participants. The age of students, who studied to gain the first higher education, was between 17 and 20. The students were not familiar with the structure of External Independent Evaluation and they have never passed it. The research was carried out during the period 2018–2019. The relevance of English language competence in the professional context is noted emphasized as a key point of the presented research. The necessity to provide a sufficient competitive level for Ukrainian graduates through improving correspondent English language training has been considered. The study is based on a study of reports by British experts and contemporary scientific publications presented international researchers have focused on the problems of internationalization and perspectives for Ukrainian universities in the English language dimension. The relevance of studying and adaptation of the UK higher education successful practice has been highlighted. The problems and potential ways of improving students` English language proficiency in the given context are identified. In particular, the study contains important recommendations regarding the number of contact hours and the required levels of English proficiency for the main groups of participants in the educational process in higher education according to international standards.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eriselda Vrapi ◽  
Xhevdet Zekaj

This study aims to explore the use of video in English language teaching (ELT) elementary school (grades 8 to 9)... In addition, the thesis aims to find out how videos in English lessons helped to achieve the goals of English curriculum. The main hypothesis was that teaching with video would develop pupils’ communicative skills and, therefore, was appropriate for the communicative approach to ELT. The study addressed five research questions regarding the use of videos in English lessons in the case study school: why the teachers used videos in ELT, what kinds of videos were used in English lessons, how and how often videos were used, what was taught and learned through the use of videos and, finally, what the teachers’ and pupils’ attitudes to lessons with videos were. The research was performed as a case study at an Elbasan elementary school. The data for the research was obtained through the use of mixed methods: qualitative, in the form of interviews with four English teachers and observations of three of the interviewed teachers’ lessons with videos, and quantitative, in the form of a pupil questionnaire answered by 105 pupils from two 8th grade and two 9th grade classes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Farzana Sharmin Pamela Islam

As 21st century is the era of modern technologies with different aspects, it offers us to make the best use of them. After tape recorder and overhead projector (OHP), multimedia has become an important part of language classroom facilities for its unique and effective application in delivering and learning lesson. Although in many parts of Bangladesh, a South Asian developing country, where English enjoys the status of a foreign language, the use of multimedia in teaching and learning is viewed as a matter of luxury. However, nowadays the usefulness and the necessity of it are well recognized by the academics as well as the government. The study aims to focus on the difference between a traditional classroom void of multimedia and multimedia equipped classrooms at university level by explaining how multimedia support the students with enhanced opportunity to interact with diverse texts that give them more in-depth comprehension of the subject. It also focuses on audio-visual advantage of multimedia on the students’ English language learning. The study has followed a qualitative method to get an in-depth understanding of the impact of using multimedia in an English language classroom at tertiary level. For this purpose, the data have been collected from two different sources. Firstly, from students’ written response to  an open ended question as to their comparative experience of learning  lessons with and without multimedia facilities; and secondly, through  observation of English language classes at a private university of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The discussion of the study is limited to  the use of multimedia in English language classroom using cartoons, images and music with a view to enhance students’ skills in academic writing, critical analysis of image and critical appreciation of music. For this purpose, cartoons in English language, images from Google and music from You Tube have got focused discussion in this paper.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulmalik Usman ◽  
Dahiru Musa Abdullahi

The paper seeks to investigate the level of productive knowledge of ESL learners, the writing quality and the relationship between the vocabulary knowledge and the writing quality. 150 final year students of English language in a university in Nigeria were randomly selected as respondents. The respondents were asked to write an essay of 300 words within one hour. The essays were typed into Vocab Profiler of Cobb (2002) and analyzed the Lexical Frequency Profile of the respondents. The essays were also assessed by independent examiners using a standard rubric. The findings reveal that the level of productive vocabulary knowledge of the respondents is limited. The writing quality of the majority of the respondent is fair and there is a significant correlation between vocabulary and the witting quality of the subjects. The researchers posit that productive vocabulary is the predictor of writing quality and recommend various techniques through which teaching and learning of vocabulary can be improved.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 2245-2249
Author(s):  
Suzana Ejupi ◽  
Lindita Skenderi

Working with English learners for many years, gives you the opportunity to encounter linguistic obstacles that they face while learning English language as a foreign language. Additionally, teaching for 13 years and observing the learning process, it enables you to recognize the students’ needs and at the same time, detect linguistic mistakes that they make, while practicing the target language. During my experience as a teacher, in terms of teaching and learning verbs in general and its grammatical categories in specific, it is noticed that Albanian learners find it relatively difficult the correct use of verbs in context and even more confusing the equivalent use of verbs in Albanian. Since verbs present an important part of speech, this study aims to investigate several differences and similarities between grammatical categories of verbs in English and Albanian. As a result, the Albanian learners of English language will be able to identify some of the major differences and similarities between the grammatical categories of verbs in English and Albanian; overcome the usual mistakes; gain the necessary knowledge regarding verbs and use them properly in English and Albanian.


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