scholarly journals EFL Teachers’ Cognition of Teaching English Pronunciation Techniques: A Mixed-Method Approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melor Md Yunus ◽  
Hadi Salehi ◽  
Mahdi Amini
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Method Approach

<p>In recent years, a great number of attempts have been made on teachers’ cognition with the aim of understanding the complications reinforcing the teachers’ cognitions and their classroom practices. Such studies shed light on how teachers’ cognitions expand over time and how they are reflected in their classroom practices. The aim of the present study was to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ cognition particularly in terms of the pronunciation techniques they apply in the oral communication classrooms and their knowledge about their language learners’ characteristics. To achieve the goals of the study, the cognitions of five English teachers in the oral communication classrooms were explored. The teachers were requested to answer two semi-structured interviews to obtain the data about their cognitions regarding the pronunciation techniques. Furthermore, their students were asked to fill out a questionnaire to express their opinions about the techniques applied by their teachers during instruction of English pronunciation. The qualitative and quantitative results showed that there was an intricate relationship between language teachers’ experience with their cognitions about their language learners. Moreover, those teachers who were in higher level language courses showed to have broader cognitions about both the techniques they used in classrooms and the language learners’ characteristics as well.</p>

scholarly journals Iranian EFL Teachers’ Cognitions of Language Learners: Oral Communication Classrooms in Focus

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 360-366
Author(s):  
Hadi Salehi ◽  
Hojat Amini
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Efl Teachers

The current study aimed to investigate whether a group of Iranian EFL teachers revealed to have cognitions about their language learners in respect to language learners’ self-confidence, desire for feedback and desire for instruction. For this purpose, the cognitions of five English teachers in the oral communication classrooms were investigated. The teachers were required to fill out a questionnaire in order to obtain their cognitions about their language learners. The findings revealed that there was an intricate relationship between language teachers’ experience and their cognitions about the techniques they applied in classrooms. Implications and suggestions for further researcher were also discussed.

scholarly journals Investigating Teacher Written Corrective Feedback as a Formative Assessment Tool

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid SAID ◽  
Abdelouahid El MOUZRATI
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Written Corrective Feedback

The present study seeks to lay the foundations for a firmly-grounded understanding of Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) as a Formative Assessment (FA) tool through student writing. More specifically yet, it is concerned with examining the intricate correlation between Moroccan English Language Teachers’ (ELT) attitudes and practices with respect to the way they understand and apply FA by means of WCF on students’ written productions. To that end, the study seeks to investigate this issue in the light of the following guiding questions: What beliefs do Moroccan ELT teachers hold about FA and WCF? How do these teachers provide WCF to their students during the writing lesson? To address these questions, we have opted for a mixed method approach that includes questionnaires for 110 teachers, document analysis of 30 writing productions and a follow- up semi-structured interviews with teachers. Date has been interpreted through an Explanatory Sequential Design. Inspired by Lee‘s (2009) analytical model and Perumanathan (2014) study, major findings have been presented regarding mismatches. These findings have revealed strong mismatches between teachers espoused beliefs concerning WCF, as a formative assessment tool, and their actual classroom practices. Finally, the study sets some implications for teachers, supervisors underlining the implementation of WCF in classroom practices.

scholarly journals The complexity of control shift for learner autonomy: A mixed-method case study of Chinese EFL teachers’ practice and cognition

2020 ◽  
pp. 136216882095792
Author(s):  
Yi Wang ◽  
Jonathon Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Private School ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Routine Tasks ◽  
Linguistic Achievement

The promotion of language learner autonomy has been recognized as being beneficial in various domains, from linguistic achievement to personal growth. Key to the development of learner autonomy is shifting control from the teacher to the learner. While much has been written about the construct of learner control, there has been little close examination of the practices with which language teachers release their command. This article reports on a study conducted in a Chinese private school intent on promoting learner autonomy, and explores ways in which teachers’ practices facilitated or hindered control shift and their perceptions of these actions. From a study of nine teachers within one English department, two case studies are explored in depth through analysis of classroom practices, interviews and post-lesson discussions. While the feasibility of promoting learner autonomy in non-Western contexts has previously been questioned, the present findings highlight the opportunities available within routine tasks, while stressing the delicacy of these opportunities.

Sharing Corpus Resources in Language Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 438-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Chambers ◽  
Martin Wynne
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
The World ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Corpus Data

Since the early 1990s, researchers have been investigating the effectiveness of corpora as a resource in language learning, mostly creating their own small corpora. As it is neither feasible nor desirable to envisage a future in which all teachers create their own corpora, and as the content of language courses is similar in many universities throughout the world, the sharing of resources is clearly necessary if corpus data are to be made available to language teachers and learners on a large scale. Taking one small corpus as an example, this chapter aims to investigate the issues arising if corpus consultation is to become an integral part of the language-learning environment. The chapter firstly deals with fundamental questions concerning the creation and reusability of corpora, namely planning, construction, documentation, and also legal, moral and technical issues. It then explores the issues arising from the use of a corpus of familiar texts, in this case a French journalistic corpus, with advanced learners. In conclusion we propose a framework for the optimal use of corpora with language learners in the context of higher education.

Exploring Prospective EFL Teachers' Beliefs About Teachers and Teaching Through Metaphor Analysis

2019 ◽  
pp. 131-147
Author(s):  
Anıl Rakıcıoğlu-Söylemez ◽  
Ayşe Selmin Söylemez ◽  
Amanda Yeşilbursa
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Prior Beliefs ◽  
Mentoring Practices ◽  
Efl Teacher ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Efl Teachers

This study aimed to explore prospective EFL teachers' metaphors of “teachers, teaching and being a prospective EFL teacher” at the beginning and the end of a ten-week practicum course. A total of 110 Turkish prospective EFL teachers voluntarily participated in the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and metaphor-elicitation forms. Results lead to three major conclusions. First, the participants' prior beliefs about the role of an EFL teacher and teaching were affected by their previous experiences as language learners. Second, although the content analysis of the metaphors revealed a limited change throughout the practicum experience, the analysis of the interviews showed the dynamic nature of beliefs held by the prospective teachers. Finally, data analysis of the interviews revealed that the variation in beliefs and practices mainly derived from individual experiences with mentoring practices of the cooperating teachers and the socio-professional context of the practicum school.

scholarly journals English as a foreign language—teachers’ perspectives on implementing online instruction in the Iranian EFL context

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Dashtestani
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Blended Instruction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perspectives

This study set out to explore Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions on the implementation of online EFL instruction. A mixed-methods design, including semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, was employed for the specific purposes of this study. A total of 242 EFL teachers participated in the questionnaire phase of the study. In addition, 46 EFL teachers participated in the interview phase of the study. The teachers worked at a number of universities, schools and language-teaching institutions in Iran. Results suggest that although the Iranian EFL teachers adopted moderately positive attitudes towards the implementation of online instruction, the majority of them preferred blended instruction to online instruction. At the same time, the study revealed that the implementation of online EFL instruction in Iran is challenging due to a number of perceived impediments and obstacles. The most considerable perceived challenges to the implementation of online EFL instruction comprise lack of online facilities and resources, lack of interaction in online instruction, cultural resistances to online instruction and teachers’ limited knowledge of online instruction. The findings of this study provided crucial insights into teachers’ perspectives on a number of measures that can be adopted to facilitate the integration of online instruction in the EFL context of Iran. The findings would provide valuable insights for educational authorities and course designers to integrate online instruction into the EFL curriculum.Keywords: online instruction; blended instruction; teachers' attitudes; challenges; English as a foreign language(Published: 14 March 2014)Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2014, 22: 20142 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v22.20142

Motivational strategies in Chinese language classrooms: A comparative study of novice and experienced teachers

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-214
Author(s):  
Hongyang Shi ◽  
Tianmiao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Classical Model ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Experienced Teachers ◽  
Motivational Strategies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teaching Objectives ◽  
Language Classrooms

Abstract Plenty of research in applied linguistics has confirmed that language teachers’ motivational strategies are playing a crucial role in relation to the learning motivation of their students. While previous research on motivational strategies has focused almost exclusively on teaching English as an international language (TESOL), this paper seeks to explore what motivational strategies are used by teachers of Chinese as a second language (CSL), and how their use differs between novice and experienced teachers in the Chinese cultural context in mainland China. The study was carried out in four Beijing universities with 90 novice and 85 experienced CSL teachers. The research instrument was adapted from the classical model developed by Dörnyei, Zoltán, & Kata Csizér. 1998. Ten Commandments for motivating language learners: Results of an empirical study. Language Teaching Research 2(3). 203–229. Participants were asked to rate the motivational strategies in terms of their perceived importance and the frequency by which they implemented them in their teaching practices. Following this, six participants also took part in semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study reveal a significant relationship between teachers’ preferences of motivational strategies and their cultural background, teaching objectives and the teaching contexts. Results also show a remarkable difference in motivational strategies between novice and experienced teachers at both macro and individual levels. The study suggests a few interpretations of the results and several implications for CSL teacher’s professional development based on its findings.

scholarly journals Investigating Omani College Teachers’ Perspective on Critical Media Literacy

2021 ◽  
pp. 259-272
Author(s):  
Asma Al Aufi
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Critical Media Literacy ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Critical Media

Despite the numerous benefits presented within Critical Media Literacy (CML) in understanding societies, cultures, and even our values globally, the lack of teacher preparation, including English language teachers, in teaching (CML) skills remains noteworthy. Such education could arm teachers with sufficient media literacy competence to pass on to students’ capabilities in democratic self-expression and social progress. The research gap that exists, therefore, leads to this qualitative research study where the aim is to explore how a group of five College EFL teachers in a Middle Eastern institution in Oman relate to critical media awareness. This is by deconstructing a US film entitled ‘Freedom Writers’ (2007) to discuss issues related to social injustice, prejudice, and violence in society. The method used to collect data was semi-structured interviews. The interview questions, guided by a semiotic Inquiry Graphics (IG) approach, aimed to capture those EFL teachers’ interpretations, values, and beliefs relevant to CML and their subsequent intentions to teach CML in their future English classrooms. The findings suggest that although the teachers demonstrated positive attitudes and increased awareness of CML, they lacked confidence in applying it and needed to expand their perceptions of CML further. Generally, they viewed CML as being helpful for students in its ability to develop their criticality and citizenship. However, the teachers stressed the harsh realities of a packed curriculum and restrictive program requirements that may obstruct any comprehensive implementation of CML education at a university level, an issue that merits further consideration.

scholarly journals Exploring the Use of Written Authentic Materials in ESL Reading Classes: Benefits and Challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Waheeb S. Albiladi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
English Language ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Academic Benefits ◽  
Language Classrooms

The growing popularity of authentic materials provides English language teachers with more resources to practice the real language in language classrooms (Guo, 2012). However, integrating these types of reading materials can be difficult and time-consuming even though there are many benefits to using them to teach language learners how to read. Real-life based texts, which are not specifically designed for educational purposes have been recognized by many educators to be effective and interesting materials. The purpose of this study was to explore language learners&rsquo; perceptions about the benefits and challenges of using authentic materials in English reading classes. The study involved 16 adult English language learners enrolled in an intensive English program. Observations of reading classes and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Results indicated that the use of authentic materials leads to many social and academic benefits, such as increasing students&rsquo; motivation and their cultural awareness. Findings also suggest that the use of authentic materials are encouraged as they bring the sense of authenticity and reality to the language classrooms.

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