scholarly journals CA-informed Interactional Feature Analysis of Conversations in Textbooks Used for Teaching English Speaking in Thai Secondary Schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
Nasree Pitaksuksan ◽  
Kemtong Sinwongsuwat
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Textbook Series ◽  
Southern Thailand ◽  
In Series ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Printed Materials ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Opening And Closing

With Conversation Analysis (CA) insights, this paper examines the textbooks used to teach oral English communication to Thai EFL learners in secondary schools. In an attempt to raise the awareness of features of naturally-occurring conversation and help increase the learners’ exposure to these features, two textbook series, hereafter A and B, were purposively sampled for a close examination of their model conversations and related exercises. Six textbooks, three from each series, were obtained from secondary school teachers voluntarily joining a CA-informed English conversation-teaching workshop in lower southern Thailand. The findings showed that textbook series A contains action-driven, function-based communicative content, whereas B is theme/situation-based, being organized around topics or events likely faced by learners in daily life. Both textbook series put more focus on face-to-face dialogues, offering a significantly smaller number of phone and multi-party conversations. The model conversations in both series are presented with punctuation symbols of written language and without any representations of spoken language features such as stress and intonation. Some of the conversations in series B are sequentially incomplete, and while offering students conversations with various types of action sequences, both series can integrate more opening and closing sequences as well as sequences with dispreferred responses into their model conversations. To raise learners’ awareness of features of natural conversation, more instances of repair and overlap may also be integrated into both audio and printed materials. Finally, to achieve the communicative unit goal, more scaffolding exercises can be provided to allow students to practice not only word and sentence pronunciation in isolation, but in relation to achieving a particular interactional goal via the construction of turns in more manageable, meaningful sequences.

scholarly journals Intergenerational learning among primary and lower secondary schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soner Polat ◽  
Hande Çiçek
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Intergenerational Learning ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
School Year ◽  
Older Teachers ◽  
Lower Secondary Schools

<p>The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify on which topics intergenerational learning takes place among primary and lower secondary school teachers of different generations. If intergenerational learning is present among colleagues, the content of this learning will be specified. For this purpose, in 2013-2014 school year, in the district of İzmit in the province of Kocaeli two primary and two lower secondary schools where different generations work together were, therefore, selected and 39 teachers of three different generations in these schools were interviewed. Semi-structured interview technique was used during these face-to- face interviews. Data of the study, which was designed using phenomenological pattern, was analyzed with descriptive analysis method. The results indicated that younger teachers learn about topics such as classroom management and handling problems with parents from the experiences of their older colleagues. On the other hand, older teachers learn about the new teaching methods and techniques, teaching materials and the use of technical equipments from their younger colleagues. It was clearly seen that intergenerational learning proceed more functionally at schools where collaboration and knowledge-sharing are important values; where there aren’t any prejudices against age and where there are individuals who are open for development.</p>

Practitioners’ Involvement and Challenges, they Encountered in Curriculum Development: The Case of Secondary Schools in Amhara Sayint Woreda, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Melesse ◽  
Mulu Melesse
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Curriculum Development ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Amhara Region ◽  
Vice Principals ◽  
Development Phases ◽  
Perceived Involvement

The purpose of this study was to assess practitioners’ perceived involvement and challenges they encountered in the process of curriculum development in Secondary schools of Amhara Sayintworeda. Mixed research design was employed to provide answer to the basic questions of this research. The sample consisted of 125 secondary school teachers, 3 school principals, 4 vice principals, and 1 supervisor. Proportional random sampling technique was used to select the sample teachers and comprehensive sampling technique was used to select the sample school principals, vice principals, and the supervisor. The data was collected through questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The collected data was analyzed using percentage, one sample t-test and thematic description. The findings indicated low practitioners’ perceived involvement in all the curriculum development phases other than curriculum implementation. Absence of financial and material incentives and practitioners’ lack of motivation were considered as the major inhibiting factors for practitioners’ involvement in the different phases of the curriculum development process. On the basis of the major findings, relevant recommendations are suggested in the paper.

Attitudes of Thai English Learners towards Online Learning of Speaking

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irish Chan Sioson
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Positive Feeling ◽  
Internet Connection ◽  
Southern Thailand ◽  
Thai English ◽  
Level Of Agreement

ABSTRACT A recent challenge in the field of education has been met as a shift to online classes from traditional face-to-face classes has been attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, certain issues arise from such a sudden shift to an online learning environment, especially for those who have been mainly (or for others, solely) taught in a face-to-face setting. This paper aimed to determine the attitudes of Thai English learners towards online learning of speaking. The study involved fifty-four fourth year English majors in a university in southern Thailand. A survey questionnaire was developed to collect data. It consisted of a 5- point Likert scale asking for the students' level of agreement with statements and open-ended questions. The results show that the teacher being perceived as supportive and the students having a positive feeling when they had a stable Internet connection were the two areas that had the highest mean scores. On the other hand, being given enough opportunities to interact with classmates and preferring to participate in discussions using video (with microphone and video on) had the lowest mean scores. Moreover, the learners’ comments provided insights into their attitudes toward online learning in terms of preferences and challenges. Implications for teaching are then drawn from the results. KEYWORDS: attitudes, online learning, speaking

Selective Wave Filtering in Time-Modulated Elastic Metamaterials

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiwei Xia ◽  
Giuseppe Trainiti ◽  
Alper Erturk ◽  
Massimo Ruzzene
Keyword(s):  
Single Port ◽  
Negative Capacitance ◽  
Time Modulation ◽  
Piezoelectric Patch ◽  
Flat Bands ◽  
Elastic Metamaterials ◽  
In Series ◽  
Port System ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Time Periodic

We implement periodic stiffness time-modulation in a beam with piezoelectric patches and switchable shunted negative capacitance. The shunted negative capacitance circuits, connected in series with each piezoelectric patch through a switch, soften the structure. By alternatively opening and closing the switch, the beam’s stiffness effectively oscillates periodically between two values. We present a simplified theoretical model of time-periodic beams and describe the occurrence of flat bands in the dispersion diagrams. We show that a narrowband reflection from a time-modulated domain can be obtained for a broadband incident wave, hence qualifying the modulated domain as a single-port system with tunable response. We validate our theoretical findings by comparing time-domain simulations with experimental measurements of transient wavefields through scanning Doppler laser vibrometry.

scholarly journals Spotlight on Leadership Path-Goal Theory Silos in Practice to Improve and Sustain Job-Oriented Development: Evidence from Education Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12324
Author(s):  
Atif Saleem ◽  
Ling Wu ◽  
Sarfraz Aslam ◽  
Tianxue Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Leadership Behavior ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
School Context ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Goal Theory ◽  
School Teachers

Sustainable development is a process occurring on several levels, which placed the expectations on educational institutions, especially secondary schools, change radically. Schools, therefore, are gradually likely to emphasize enhanced and sustainable teaching practices under the agenda of the United Nations 2030, sustainable future. Hence, the job-oriented development of teachers is a critical factor of the school leadership mechanism. Considering this, the present empirical research was designed to study the mechanism of path-goal theory (PGT) to sustain teachers’ job-oriented development in private secondary schools in Pakistan. The viewpoint of teachers, whose job performance is ultimately affected by the school leadership behavior and who perform the job at the front line in schools, was taken on board for the investigation. A total of 2469 secondary school teachers from 785 private secondary schools participated in the present study. Confirmatory factor analysis, t-test, Pearson correlation, and path analysis structural equation modeling analytics were mainly involved in the data analysis. Overall, the findings substantiated the constructive PGT mechanism, especially indicating that directive leadership is the most influential and effective leadership behavior in complex tasks, including when teachers are inexperienced. Moreover, the helpful role of supportive leadership and achievement-oriented leadership behaviors backs up the directive behavior. Although participative leadership behavior was problematic in the studied schools, it should be constructively adopted, as it was found to be a statistically significant predictor. Therefore, training programs for school leaders with good experience in participatory leadership functions can be productive for long-term teachers’ motivation. The literature shows that several secondary school teachers still perform poorly because of inadequate leadership, and the viewpoint of teachers on PGT was ignored in earlier studies. Hence, there was a dire need to conduct this research to address these concerns, especially in the non-Western, Asian context. In addition to pioneering academic research on leadership PGT in the secondary school context, the PGT elements were investigated, including teachers’ extrinsic and intrinsic motivation for the first time, adding new understanding about the theory.

scholarly journals Changing Policy of English Teaching Approach at Indonesian Secondary Schools In Face of ASEAN Economic Community: A Few Notes to Relevant Ministries

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ardi Marwan
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
English Learning ◽  
School Students ◽  
Study Program ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Extra Curricular Activities ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Asean Economic Community ◽  
Teaching Learning

This article provides information about a research aiming to identify causes of secondary school students’ failure to acquire English effectively and provide recommendations to relevant ministries to better deal with these problems.  A qualitative design involving a number of students as well as teachers from lower and upper secondary schools and pre-service teachers from a training college was used. Findings of this research revealed that issues of English teacher quality, English study program graduates’ quality, lack of English learning hours at school, the absence of extra-curricular activities for English exposure and English speaking environment, English national exam, the underuse and inexistence of facilities and ineffective monitoring system were found to be the major contributors of students’ English learning ineffectiveness. This study, therefore, recommends the relevant ministries to cope with these issues urgently or else this unfavorable situation will remain unchanged in future years.     Keywords: English, teaching, learning, quality, policy, change

scholarly journals Suitability of Blackboard as Learning Management System to assess oral competence: Students’ perceptions and results

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Isabel Muñoz Alcón ◽  
Francisco Trullén Galve
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Management System ◽  
Learning Management System ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Learning Management ◽  
Undergraduate Programs

Learning a foreign language involves the practice and development of linguistic competencies through a series of communicative activities. Assessing each of these competencies face to face can provide an accurate profile of the student’s level of language proficiency. But assessing them online, particularly oral skill, poses a challenge for both students and professors. The change of scenario and use of digital tools may intimidate students and deprive the interview from naturality and warmth. In this paper, the suitability of Blackboard Collaborate as Learning Management System to assess English speaking skill is studied together with other factors influencing students’ online performance. 81 students from 5 different undergraduate programs in Engineering and Applied Sciences were assessed, following the threefold pattern of IELTS speaking test questions. Their results and responses to a final survey are contrasted so as to check the positive of negative effect of online testing on the students’ state of mind and eventual achievement. Blackboard platform proves to be as a suitable online framework for optimal performance, and the examiner’s attitude is equally a conditioning factor in students’success.

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