scholarly journals Teacher cognition and the teaching of EFL reading in Norwegian upper primary classrooms

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trine Mathiesen Gilje
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Teacher Cognition ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Primary Classrooms ◽  
Diverse Classrooms ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Mental Constructs ◽  
The Impact

This article is about a qualitative study of teacher cognition and the teaching of EFL reading in Norwegian upper primary classrooms. Teacher cognition, defined by Borg (2003, p.81) as ‘what teachers think, know, and believe and the relationships of these mental constructs to what teachers do in the language teaching classroom’, is a relatively new field of research, with few studies focussing on its link to the teaching of EFL reading skills in state schools or in young language learner classrooms. The study therefore aimed to explore upper primary EFL teachers’ reading-related materials and practices, what knowledge, attitudes and beliefs formed the basis of their choices, and the role of teacher education in this context. The method was semi-structured interviews with eight randomly selected 6th grade EFL-teachers. The study showed that the teachers primarily based their teaching of EFL reading on textbooks, used them in similar ways, but also used additional reading materials to varying extents. The teachers thus appeared to be heavily guided by their textbooks, in addition to intuition and routines. The impact of formal teacher education varied from teacher to teacher. Nevertheless, it was argued that pre-service and in-service teacher education will play an important role in helping future EFL teachers make and understand the choices they make about reading materials and pracices, so that they can meet the demands of increasingly diverse classrooms due to differences in linguistic, social and national backgrounds between pupils.

Enhancing EFL Teachers’ Pronunciation Pedagogy Through Professional Learning: A Vietnamese Case Study

RELC Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 003368822095247
Author(s):  
Loc Tan Nguyen ◽  
Jonathan Newton
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Teaching Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
The Impact

The role of teacher professional learning (TPL) in assisting teachers to teach pronunciation in English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) contexts has received little attention. The study reported in this paper extends this line of research by investigating how six EFL teachers at a Vietnamese university transform and integrate the pronunciation pedagogical knowledge they received from a TPL workshop into teaching practice. It then examines the teachers’ perceptions of the impact of the workshop on their knowledge gains and pronunciation teaching skills. Data were collected from seven lesson plans designed by the teachers, video recordings of 24 subsequent classroom observations, and six individual semi-structured interviews. The study adopted a content-based approach to qualitative data analysis. The findings show that the teachers were all able to translate TPL into classroom practice of pronunciation teaching. The findings further show that workshops designed and implemented in accordance with research-based TPL principles can be effective for promoting teachers’ knowledge of pronunciation pedagogy and refining their pronunciation teaching skills. The study has implications for ESL/EFL teachers’ professional development in pronunciation teaching.

scholarly journals ONLINE COLLABORATIVE ACTION RESEARCH IN AN EFL CONTEXT: THE EFFECT ON TEACHERS’ REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

2021 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 158-175
Author(s):  
Zahra Fathian ◽  
Majid Farahian
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Discussion Groups ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
The Impact

Technology can be integrated in teacher education and, hence, be used to empower teachers to extend learning beyond their classrooms. Therefore, the present study was an attempt to investigate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of action research and explore the impact of their collaborative action research in an online discussion group on their reflective practice. In addition, we were interested to know how online collaborative research action research contributes to their promotion of reflective thinking.The participants of this study were 23 Iranian EFL teachers who were recruited based on convenience sampling. The design of the study was a pre-test post-test design. As such, two questionnaires were given to the participants at the beginning and end of the study. As the next step, the participants took part in online discussion groups for 10 sessions in which they read and watched some essays and videos, wrote about some topics, and shared their ideas and experiences. To consolidate the findings, semi-structured interviews were held with 12 participants. The result of the study indicated that most of the participants of the study had optimistic views regarding action research. In addition, participating in online discussion groups enabled them to think more about their teaching practice and gain higher levels of reflectivity. The results of the qualitative phase indicated that the online courses had effect on the teachers’ practice and reflectivity in different ways. Despite all studies conducted on action research in Iran, contradictory results have been found regarding teachers’ perception of action research. In addition, to the researchers’ knowledge, no study has investigated the use of online collaborative action research on teachers’ reflection. As such, it seemed necessary to conduct a study to explore the role of action research as a framework for improving reflective practice.

scholarly journals Turkish EFL teachers’ attitudes towards online instruction throughout the Covid-19 outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Mustafa Civelek ◽  
Işılay Toplu ◽  
Levent Uzun
Keyword(s):  
Online Instruction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teacher Training Programs ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Teachers Attitudes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Instruction Methodology

The purpose of the present study is to shed light on the attitudes of Turkish EFL teachers towards online instruction (OI), the impact of training on their attitudes, the obstacles they encounter, and the strategies to deliver OI more successfully throughout the Covid-19 outbreak. The participants were 70 EFL teachers (52 female, 18 male). The data was collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 26. Descriptive statistics of each item was calculated and an independent sample t-test was conducted to answer the research questions. For the analysis of the interview data, the responses of the participants were transcribed and the recurring themes were identified. The results revealed that the attitudes of Turkish EFL teachers, who experienced online instruction during the Covid-19 outbreak, are not as positive as expected regarding some of the results of the related research in the literature. The interview findings revealed that EFL teachers do not feel capable of delivering online instruction effectively since they do not have adequate knowledge and necessary skills to do that. In view of the findings, it’s suggested that online instruction methodology should be integrated into teacher training programs and teachers should receive an in-service training about the related subject.

scholarly journals Beyond Practicum: Interplay between Prospective EFL Teachers’ Conceptualizations of Field Experience and Teaching Career

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
Merve Selçuk ◽  
Ece Genç Yöntem
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
School Experience ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Practice Teaching ◽  
Faculties Of Education ◽  
The Impact

Becoming a teacher of English language requires both knowledge of theory and practice. Teacher candidates at the faculties of education in BA programs in Turkey practice teaching through observing real classrooms and doing micro-teachings in real schools during their four-year teacher training. This study was conducted at a foundation university in Turkey, in which senior pre-service teachers, before they enter the teaching profession and become novice teachers, go and experience teaching to fulfill the requirements of the practicum (school experience course) in their last semester. This course requires them to observe three different levels of classroom in real schools, write reflective papers, prepare lesson plans and practice teaching. The transition from pre-service to novice teacher can be facilitated via successful practicum programs offered by the faculties of education in Turkey. The impact of practicum tends to result in either entry into teaching or teacher retention. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the effects of this program on students’ decisions on entry into the profession. The data were collected in two stages: Before and after the practicum. At the beginning of the last semester, before they go practicum, five pre-service EFL teachers were asked the reasons for choosing teacher education programs, and their concerns related to practicum and the profession through an in-depth semi-controlled interview. Those pre-service teachers were also interviewed on the same topics at the end of the semester, after practicum. Results indicated that practicum or school experience has contributed positively to their perceptions regarding their entry into teaching because almost all of them wanted to enter teaching at the end of the program, and they are in-service teachers now. These findings suggest that teacher education courses should aim to develop students’ practical knowledge, and the relationship among the mentor teacher, the supervisor, and the student teacher should be valued and supported more in teacher education programs.

scholarly journals EFL Teachers’ Phonological Awareness Beliefs and Practices: Help or Prevent EFL Children Developing Reading

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousef Mohammad Alshaboul
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Good Readers ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Efl Teacher Education ◽  
The Impact

Families, schools and stakeholders long for developing good readers (Ponitz & Rimm-Kaufman, 2011) and would do all it takes to save young children from becoming illiterate or low achievers (Anthony & Farncis, 2005; Share & Stanovich, 1995; Snowling, 1998). Since the landmark study of Moats (1994), a flow of research has targeted teacher education advocating for teachers being competent in PA (Carlisle, Kelcey, Rowan, & Phelps, 2011; Kennedy, 2013; Washburn et al., 2017). EFL teachers’ proficiency seems to contribute to the reading difficulties that early graders encounter. This paper investigates the knowledge, beliefs, practices and awareness in phonological awareness (PA) of twohundred and ten ramdonly selected EFL in-service teachers and then examines the impact of teachers’ experiences, qualifications, and gender on shaping teachers’ instruction. The researchers used a four-section survey to collect teachers’ demographic information, perceived and actual knowledge of phonological awareness and classroom practices related to PA, phonics, and syllabication. The results reported teachers as moderate level in the beliefs, practice and awareness of PA. In terms of teachers’ knowledge in PA, however, results showed teachers lacking the basics in teaching reading. This study adds to the body of literature and sheds light on the status quo of EFL in-service teachers’ competency and brings to the attention of every stakeholder the critical role EFL teachers play in helping EFL children become readers. Although the results point towards teachers as possible cause behind children’s low-literacy level, this study raises important questions for further investigations, and implications for EFL teacher education and preparation are highlighted.

scholarly journals Abstracts: Teacher education

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 358-360
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
School Level ◽  
Teaching Beliefs ◽  
Diverse Classrooms ◽  
Secondary School Level ◽  
The Impact

07–615Dogancay-Aktuna, Seran (Southern Illinois U, USA), Expanding the socio-cultural knowledge base of TESOL teacher education. Language, Culture and Curriculum (Multilingual Matters) 19.3 (2006), 278–295.07–616Gonçalves, Maria de Lurdes (U Aveiro, Portugal) & Ana Isabel Andrade, Connecting languages: The use of theportfolioas a means of exploring and overcoming frontiers within the curriculum. European Journal of Teacher Education (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) 30.2 (2007), 195–213.07–617Kurihara, Yuka & Keiko Samimy (Ohio State U, USA), The impact of a U.S. teacher training program on teaching beliefs and practices: A case study of secondary school level Japanese teachers of English. JALT Journal (Japan Association for Language Teaching) 29.1 (2007), 99–122.07–618Poulou, Maria (U Patras, Greece), Student-teachers' concerns about teaching practice. European Journal of Teacher Education (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) 30.1 (2007), 91–110.07–619Santoro, Ninetta (Deakin U, Australia), ‘Outsiders’ and ‘others’: ‘Different’ teachers teaching in culturally diverse classrooms. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) 13.1 (2007), 81–97.07–620Vacilotto, Silvana & Rhoda Cummings (U Nevada, Reno, USA; [email protected]), Peer coaching in TEFL/TESL programmes. ELT Journal (Oxford University Press) 61.2 (2007), 153–160.

A Bourdieusian analysis of the educational field and professional identity of EFL teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-170
Author(s):  
Hamidreza Hashemi Moghadam ◽  
Seyyed Mohammad Reza Adel ◽  
Saeed Ghaniabadi ◽  
Seyyed Mohammad Reza Amirian
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenological ◽  
Dynamic Representation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Educational Field

PurposeInformed by the Bourdieusian construct of the social field, the purpose of this paper is to explore how different aspects of the educational field and the sub-field of English language teaching in Iran influence diverse components of the professional identity of high school EFL teachers. To this aim, the impact of the power hierarchization structure, distribution of capitals and field autonomy, as important aspects of the social field theory, is investigated in relation to Iranian EFL teachers’ professional identity construction.Design/methodology/approachVan Manen’s (1990) hermeneutic phenomenological research method was adopted to analyze the data obtained through the semi-structured interviews and reflexive journals from 15 Iranian EFL teachers at high schools.FindingsThe hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of the data yielded to the extraction of one global, three organizing and six basic themes. The global theme was the educational field and professional identity. The resulting organizing themes were: first, autonomous field and teachers’ commitment; second, asymmetric power relation and teachers’ autonomy; and, finally, cultural capital and teachers’ motivation. This study revealed how the complex and multi-dimensional nature of the power relations between the field of education and power influenced the professional identity of EFL teachers.Research limitations/implicationsThis dynamic representation of the inherent complexities of the educational context contributes to a more profound understanding of the role of the micro and macro contextual factors in formulating teachers’ professional identity. The implications of this study are further explained.Originality/valueHereby, the authors declare that all the procedures of data collection and analysis have been just done by the researchers.

scholarly journals teacher’s moral role in mobilizing students’ motivation beyond L2 vision

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harumi Ogawa
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Junior College ◽  
Course Evaluation ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Intercultural Encounters ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Future Vision ◽  
The Impact

This paper concerns an exploratory practice (EP) project in a Japanese junior college EFL classroom. Central to it is an EFL course specifically designed to enhance language learners’ future visions of themselves as L2 users in intercultural encounters (Dörnyei & Kubanyiova, 2014). Findings show that this vision-based EFL course was effective in general, but had a far-reaching impact on one language learner, Aya, extending to “other domains which the learner perceive[d] as connected” (Mercer, 2011, p. 168). By examining empirical data (written narratives, semi-structured interviews, field notes, audio- and video-recordings, and a course evaluation) concerning Aya, this paper discusses the role that the teacher played in mobilising her future vision through this course. The main objective of the discussion is to extend our understanding of the impact and responsibility of the language teacher in the classroom.

Enriching Teacher Motivation by Improving Teacher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 130-150
Author(s):  
Lorena Salud Gadella Kamstra
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Teacher Motivation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teacher Training Programs ◽  
State Schools

Teacher motivation plays a crucial role in the learning and teaching of languages. Despite its importance, research on language teacher motivation is limited. On a different note, research on teacher education (TE) has exposed the ineffective preparation of teachers for the reality of the classroom. This chapter will discuss implications for language teacher training programs by establishing a link between teacher motivation and TE. This qualitative investigation was conducted in secondary state schools in Spain, and 23 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers participated. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore teacher demotivation to teach EFL, which in turn was associated to teachers' lack of training in inclusive and reflective practices. The findings revealed the demotivating influence of these two areas and explored how these could be tackled in TE while accounting for teachers' needs. By enhancing teacher training, the language classroom could become an inclusive and reflective space for young learners and teachers.

scholarly journals Exploring learning conversations between mentors and associate teachers in initial teacher education

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Jones ◽  
Steven Tones ◽  
Gethin Foulkes
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mentor Training ◽  
Collaborative Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Conversations ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the learning conversations that take place in the context of secondary initial teacher education (ITE) in England. More specifically, it aims to examine the learning conversations that occurred between physical education subject mentors and their associate teachers (ATs) during a one-year postgraduate programme. Design/methodology/approach Self-completion questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, with 11 ATs within a university ITE partnership, were used to explore ATs’ perceptions of the learning conversations that occurred between them and their mentors. A process of content analysis was used to identify and analyse themes in the data. Findings Meaningful learning conversations are not exclusively based on mentors’ feedback on ATs’ teaching. The ongoing everyday dialogue that occurs between mentors and ATs has a direct impact on the ATs’ teaching and a more indirect effect of nurturing collaborative relationships and providing access to a learning community. Successful mentoring is not realised through an isolated weekly lesson observation of the ATs’ teaching. It is an immersive process where the AT and the mentor face the ongoing challenge of exploring aspects of pedagogy and developing a relationship that is conducive to shared learning. Practical implications These findings have implications for providers of ITE and more specifically how they approach mentor training. Examining learning conversations, and in particular the more informal everyday dialogue that occurs between the mentor and the AT, may have significant impact on the learning of those who are training to teach. Originality/value Informal learning conversations are central to the mentoring process. These findings highlight the value of learning conversations and in particular the impact of informal everyday dialogue that may otherwise be overlooked.

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