The participatory relationship among teachers, students and curriculum materials : a case study of four Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers at the tertiary level in mainland China

Author(s):  
Zhan Li
Author(s):  
Zhang Yong

Since the 1970s, the appearance of humanistic teaching has aroused widespread interest of foreign language teachers. People began to turn their attention to learners’ variations in order to find some new ideas which can be more effective in promoting FLT and personal growth, namely, there appears a humanistic trend which focuses on the students’ affect in learning process, student-centeredness and the individualistic teaching. In order to know whether humanistic teaching has been employed by teachers in tertiary-level FL classrooms in China, a case study has been conducted. Based on the findings of the case study, this paper also proposes a way to apply more humanistic teaching to tertiary-level FLT by exploring some important factors concerning foreign language classroom teaching.


2005 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-41

05–88Haley, Marjorie Hall (George Mason U, USA). Implications of using case study instruction in a foreign/second language methods course. Foreign Language Annals (New York, USA) 37.2 (2004), 290–300.05–89Lozano, Albert S. (California State U, USA), Padilla, Amado M., Sung, Hyekyung & Silva Duarte M. A statewide professional program for California foreign language teachers. Foreign Language Annals (New York, USA) 37.2 (2004), 301–309.05–90Rilling, Sarah, Dahlman, Anne, Dodson, Sarah, Boyles, Claire & Pavant, Özlem (Kent State U, USA). Connecting CALL theory and practice in pre-service teacher education and beyond: processes and products. CALICO Journal (TX, USA) 22.2 (2005), 213–235.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Cimermanová

Abstract The paper discusses the role of e-portfolio in the development of reflective thinking in a group of pre-service English as a foreign language teachers. It stresses the benefits it can bring (e.g. autonomous learning, cooperative learning - the author highlights the social context of e-portfolio) as well as presents the threats and risks it might bring based on the own experience of the author. The results of this case study showed that the process of e-portfolio building can enhance professional development, self-confidence and the ability to self-reflect own work and progress. The author indicates also the possibilities of its use not only in the groups of pre-service teacher trainers but also in the groups of in-service teachers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-90
Author(s):  
Raúl Sebastián Ramírez Basantes

Early teaching and student experiences act as cultural references for English as a Foreign Language teachers. Tools and strategies are articulated in the form of roles, which are constantly tested and negotiated within the classroom, modeling the EFL teacher’s identity. The following is a case study on three EFL teacher’s identity development from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. The presence of roles related to EFL teaching was identified through a semi-participant observation and compiled in an observation grid. Observed tools and strategies origin was deepened in the transcription of interviews based on life stories, using a biographical methodology. The use of Socializing / Empathizing skills from the Acculturator role were present in codeswitch using an Ecuadorian pitch, aimed to deal with emotional transactions in the class successfully. Previous working experiences allowed teachers to find strategies to incorporate EFL teaching roles with low emotional labor. Role models from the family and working context played a crucial role in the integration of emotional tools to negotiate roles within the class with low emotional labor.


Author(s):  
Jacqueline Żammit

AbstractThis study sought to understand how teachers of Maltese as a foreign language (MFL) develop intercultural capabilities by exploring the importance of intercultural competence (IC) to MFL teachers, the characteristics of interculturally competent MFL educators, and the ways in which educators develop IC. The study adopted the interpretivist paradigm and a case study research design to collect qualitative data. Seventeen MFL teachers of adult learners were purposefully selected because they all taught MFL to non-native adults. These educators were interviewed, by answering the researcher’s ten unstructured questions. A smartphone was used to record the interviewees. Findings regarding the perceptions of the teachers who were interviewed are as follows. Firstly, the participants stated that IC is important for MFL teachers because it helps them to embrace diversity, to help adult learners to learn the target language (i.e. Maltese) better, and to be sensitive and accommodative to learners from different backgrounds. Secondly, according to the participants, an interculturally capable person is one who knows their own culture and others’ cultural aspects, respects and accepts other cultures. It was also found that teachers develop intercultural capabilities through learning at a school and by visiting other countries and being immersed in the cultures of those countries. The implications of the findings as supported by existing literature, are that IC is important for foreign language teachers and as a result, intercultural training, learning through interactions with others and visits to other countries are necessary to develop intercultural capabilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinfeng Xie ◽  
Guiying Jiang

The present study examines the emotional experience and expression of Chinese tertiary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and their interaction with their students. Data were drawn from semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 EFL teachers recruited from seven universities of different levels in China and were analyzed in light of Emotional Geography Theory. The results reveal that Chinese tertiary-level EFL teachers experience more negative emotions than positive ones. The emotions most frequently reported by them are anger, enjoyment, anxiety, disappointment, and ambivalence. When it comes to emotional expressions, Chinese tertiary-level EFL teachers tend to display positive emotions by following the emotional rules of school settings. This study also uncovers that EFL teaching in Chinese universities is characterized by EFL teachers’ physical and moral distance from but political closeness to students, all of which are the sources of EFL teachers’ negative emotions. The need for providing positive psychology intervention for EFL teachers is then suggested.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Zammit

Abstract This study sought to understand how teachers of Maltese as a foreign language (MFL) develop intercultural capabilities by exploring the importance of intercultural competence to MFL teachers, the characteristics of interculturally competent MFL educators, and how educators develop intercultural competence. The study adopted the interpretivist paradigm and a case study research design to collect qualitative data. Seventeen MFL teachers of adult learners were purposefully selected and interviewed. Findings regarding the perceptions of the teachers who were interviewed are as follows. Firstly, the participants stated that intercultural competence is important for MFL teachers because it helps them to embrace diversity, to help adult learners to learn the target language (i.e. Maltese) better, and to be sensitive and accommodative to learners from different backgrounds. Secondly, according to the participants, an interculturally capable person is one who knows their own culture and others’ cultural aspects, respects and accepts other cultures. It was also found that teachers develop intercultural capabilities through learning at a school and by visiting other countries and being immersed in the cultures of those countries. The implications of the findings as supported by existing literature, are that intercultural competence is important for foreign language teachers and as a result, intercultural training, learning through interactions with others and visits to other countries are necessary to develop intercultural capabilities.


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