scholarly journals English writing instruction in Norwegian upper secondary schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
May Olaug Horverak
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Writing Instruction ◽  
Teaching Material ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Detailed Instruction ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
English Writing Instruction ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

AbstractThis article presents a study of current English writing instruction practices in a selection of Norwegian upper secondary schools and discusses how this draws upon ideas within genre-pedagogy. The data comprises individual and focus-group interviews, observation reports and some teaching material. The study shows that English teachers focus on teaching genre requirements and adjustment of language to task and context. However, despite agreeing on the importance of teaching how to write specific text-types and to adjust to the situation at hand, there seems to be different opinions about how detailed instruction should be. Some teachers fear that too explicit instruction may hinder creativity, while others emphasise the need to learn how to structure a text, and to open up for creativity within certain writing frames. In spite of the differences, the practices revealed in this study comply quite well with genre-pedagogy. From the findings in this article, it seems like there is a need to develop and make available teaching material in English to be used in writing instruction, and also to improve the English teacher education with regard to the teaching of writing.Keywords: Writing instruction, genre-pedagogy, teaching-learning cycle, con-text and modellingSammendragDenne artikkelen presenterer en studie av engelsk skriveundervisning i et utvalg norske videregående skoler, og diskuterer hvordan disse praksisene samsvarer med sjangerpedagogikk. Innsamlet data består av individuelle og fokusgruppe-intervjuer, observasjonsrapporter og undervisningsmateriale, og studien viser at engelsklærere fokuserer på å undervise sjangerkrav og det å tilpasse språk til oppgave og kontekst. Til tross for at det er enighet om at det er viktig å undervise i spesifikke tekst typer, og det å tilpasse skriving til situasjon, er det ulike meninger om hvor detaljert skriveundervisningen bør være. Noen lærere frykter at for eksplisitt instruksjon kan hindre kreativitet, mens andre understreker behovet for å lære å strukturere tekster i detalj, og åpner opp for kreativitet innen bestemte skriverammer. Til tross for ulikheter, så samsvarer praksisene presentert i denne studien i stor grad med sjangerpedagogikken. Ut fra funnene i denne artikkelen, kan en konkludere at det er et behov for å utvikle og gjøre tilgjengelig undervisningsmateriale for skriveundervisning i engelsk, samt at det er et behov for å forbedre engelsklærerutdanningen når det gjelder opplæring i skriveundervisning.Nøkkelord: Skriveundervisning, sjangerpedagogikk, undervisnings-lærings syklus, kontekst og modellering 

The Challenges of History Education in Iceland

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-110
Author(s):  
Súsanna Margrét Gestsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Teaching Material ◽  
History Teaching ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Standardized Exams ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

In this article the author discusses the teaching of history in Iceland, first and foremost in relation to the environment in which the subject finds itself, the legislation relating to it and the curriculum. Curriculum development over the past decades is examined, in addition to changes in teaching material and the general attitudes that have influenced both of these from the time of the struggle for national independence in the former half of the twentieth century. There is a discussion of the disputes that have arisen as a result of tampering with the curriculum and teaching material in history in recent years, both when new emphases were introduced in the eighties and when history teaching in upper secondary schools was substantially reduced with the new curriculum in 1999. Considerable attention is given to history teaching in upper secondary schools, despite there being a dearth of research at this level. There is quite a degree of evidence that history is popular amongst Icelandic students and the public at large. In this article, an attempt is made to analyse the state of history as a school subject in Iceland, not least in the light of the extensive freedom enjoyed by teachers in their jobs, bearing in mind that there are no standardized exams in the subject and no supervision of teaching methods. At present there is a review of the curricula at all school levels in Iceland and the future of history as a subject is therefore rather uncertain.

“This school really teaches you to talk to your teachers”: Students’ experience of different assessment cultures in three Icelandic upper secondary schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 63-88
Author(s):  
Ívar Rafn Jónsson ◽  
◽  
Guðrún Geirsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Teacher Student Relationships ◽  
Assessment Culture ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Assuming that the quality of assessment for learning (AfL) is, to some extent, bound by the context of the assessment culture it thrives in, it becomes important to understand students’ experiences of the cultural characteristics that are regarded as valuable for their learning. The purpose of this study is to explore and compare students’ experiences of assessment practices in schools with an overt policy of AfL implementation with those of students in schools with no AfL policy. Focus group interviews with students were conducted in three Icelandic upper secondary schools. The findings show that students value positive teacher–student relationships and active dialogue with teachers. Moreover, a “mixed” assessment culture could be seen in one school, where a culture of grading is prevalent in conjunction with a learning-oriented assessment culture. We propose that stakeholders of upper secondary schools discuss openly and review critically the interplay of assessment tools such as grades and formative feedback. In light of these findings, it is important that the prevailing practice of assessment guides students to internalise the mindset that is embedded in AfL.

scholarly journals Upper secondary school students’ perceptions of and experiences with feedback in English writing instruction

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Drita Saliu-Abdulahi ◽  
Glenn Ole Hellekjær
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Writing Instruction ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
School Students ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
English Writing Instruction

Abstract This paper presents a survey of student perceptions of feedback in English writing in a context where formative assessment is mandatory. The study comprises 329 first year upper secondary school students from seven schools in eastern Norway, and uses a survey to examine their perceptions of and experiences with feedback in EFL writing instruction. Overall, the findings reveal that students receive varied feedback, on language as well as global errors, but primarily to finished and graded texts. There is little use of feedback between drafts, or of oral conferencing and peer-feedback. While many students do not follow up feedback at all, those who do tend to focus on language error correction and less on global errors. However, student follow up in general, and of global errors in particular, increases markedly with unfinished and ungraded texts, possibly because of available time and teacher support during the revision process. This indicates that feedback utilization can be improved by setting aside classroom time to work with texts between drafts during which students can receive teacher support, and by making this an integrated part of English writing instruction. Key words: L 2 writing instruction, feedback/formative feedback, formative assessment, multiple-sourced feedback.   Elevers oppfatninger om og erfaringer med tilbakemeldinger de får i skriveundervisningen i engelskfaget i den vidergående skole Sammendrag Denne artikkelen presenterer en kvantitativ studie av tilbakemeldinger i engelsk skriveundervisning i en kontekst hvor formativ vurdering er læreplanfestet. Den undersøker hvordan 329 norske VG1-studenter fra syv videregående skoler i øst Norge opplever og følger opp tilbakemeldingene de får som del av engelskfagets skriveundervisning. Funnene viser at studentene får variert feedback, med god balanse mellom kommentarene på språkfeil som på mer generelle feil med teksten, men at tilbakemeldingene først og fremst gis til ferdige tekster med karakter. Det er lite bruk av feedback til uferdige, ikke karaktervurderte tekster, av muntlig veiledning og av feedback fra andre studenter. Mens mange studenter ikke følger opp feedback overhodet, øker oppfølgingen, av språkfeil og i enda større grad av såkalte «globale» feil, markant de relativt sjeldne gangene de får til å arbeide med uferdige, ikke karaktervurderte tekster. Dette tyder på at utnyttelsen av feedback kan bedres ved at elevene får arbeide med uferdige tekster og med lærerstøtte mens de reviderer, og dette gjøres til en integrert del av engelskundervisningen. Nøkkelord: L2 skriving, skriveundervisning tilbakemeldinger, formativ vurdering, vurdering for læring, ulike tilbakemeldingsmodaliteter

scholarly journals Tests of Writing in the School Examination in Upper Secondary Schools

SAGE Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401667313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ginting ◽  
Ali Saukah
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
English Writing ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Examination ◽  
Writing Test ◽  
School Based ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Student Graduation ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Although the results of the final examination in Indonesia were the dominant factor in determining high school graduation, the public still did not know how the examination was administered nor how results were used to determine student graduation. Despite its importance, no comprehensive studies about its implementation have been conducted. The present study investigates the implementation of school-based assessment (SBA) in upper secondary schools focusing on the development and administration of the English writing test. This particular test was not covered in the English national examination. Twenty-one schools were surveyed, selected through stratified random sampling. In-depth case studies were conducted in three selected schools representing fully implementing school (FIS), moderately implementing school (MIS), and partially implementing school (PIS). The majority were categorized as PIS. This study suggests that the way in which examinations were implemented needs serious consideration, especially in light of the new regulation that student graduations are based on the result of the school examinations and no longer on the result of the national examination.

scholarly journals English Writing Instruction Questionnaire: The development of a questionnaire concerning English writing instruction, writing skills and feedback practices

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
May Olaug Horverak
Keyword(s):  
Writing Instruction ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
English Writing ◽  
School Based ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
English Writing Instruction ◽  
Writing Competence ◽  
Acceptable Reliability

This article presents a study aimed at developing a questionnaire to assess how Norwegian students perceive English writing instruction in upper secondary school. Based on genre-pedagogy and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, a questionnaire consisting of two parts has been developed, one called English Writing Instruction Teaching (EWIT) and one called English Writing Instruction Feedback (EWIF). The first part includes items concerning how various types of texts are taught, and how students perceive their own writing competence in relation to these types of texts. The second part includes items concerning how feedback practices are used in the context of writing instruction and what effect feedback has on students’ self-efficacy concerning writing. Factor analyses and Chronbach’s alpha values showed acceptable reliability, which supports the use of this instrument in future research.

scholarly journals Co-constructing the assessment criteria for EFL writing by instructors and students: A participative approach to constructively aligning the CEFR, curricula, teaching and learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 136216882094845
Author(s):  
Huahui Zhao ◽  
Beibei Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Assessment Criteria ◽  
Local Context ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
English Writing Instruction ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
Writing Instructors

The current assessment in language classrooms prevailingly utilizes the criteria provided by instructors, regarding learners as passive recipients of assessment. The current study drew upon sustainable assessment and the community of practice to highlight the importance of involving learners in co-constructing the assessment criteria and argued that using the criteria provided by instructors could lead to discrepancy between assessment, teaching, and learning. It adopted a participatory approach and investigated how to involve learners in co-constructing the assessment criteria with instructors in tertiary English writing instruction in China, based on the European Language Profile (ELP), an evolved version of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Two writing instructors and 146 tertiary students played different, yet interactive roles in adapting the assessment criteria in the local context. Instructors drafted the criteria in line with curricula, teaching, learning and learners. Learners utilized the draft criteria in a training session and suggested possible modifications to the criteria in a survey. Suggestions were used to revise the descriptors alongside teachers’ reflections via reflective logs. A follow-up survey explored students’ perceptions of the feasibility and usefulness of the modified descriptors to investigate the effectiveness of co-constructing the assessment criteria for learning and reveal further improvement if necessary. Vigilant decision-making processes were thickly described regarding how assessment descriptors were selected, arranged, and modified to constructively align them with curricula, teaching, and learning. Statistical and thematic analyses were conducted to examine the accessibility, feasibility, and usefulness of the assessment descriptors prior to and after the modifications. Results substantiated the effectiveness and thus the importance of co-constructing assessment criteria for enhancing the quality of assessment criteria and developing learners’ cognitive and metacognitive knowledge of writing and assessment. Implications for language tutors regarding co-constructing assessment criteria in local contexts were deliberated on at the end of the article.

A quantitative investigation of the effects of new generation vs traditional upper secondary schools in Cambodia through the lens of STEM transfer model

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sovansophal Kao
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Attitudes Toward Science ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Math Teachers ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
New Form ◽  
K 12 ◽  
New Generation ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis study aimed to examine the effects of Cambodia's New Generation Schools (NGS), as compared to their traditional counterparts, in enhancing the seven constructs: (1) science and math achievement, (2) science and math self-efficacy, (3) science and math outcome expectations, (4) attitudes toward science, (5) interactive science and math lessons, (6) support from science and math teachers and (7) encouragement and support in science from family.Design/methodology/approachThe two observations data was collected using self-rated questionnaire from 301 11th graders from five upper secondary schools located in three provinces of Cambodia. Independent sample t-test, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and dependent sample t-test were used to analyze the repeated measures data.FindingsThe study revealed that students from the NGS exhibited statistically higher scores for most constructs, especially for attitudes toward science. However, when controlling for the differences in the first observation data, the significant effects of the three constructs have been neutralized. Moreover, though there was an increase in science activities outside school, there was a negative trajectory in the other two sub-constructs of attitudes toward science and support from science and math teachers, both in NGS and traditional schools.Practical implicationsThese findings point some practical implications for enhancing the effectiveness of the two school types and further research.Originality/valueThere is heavy investment in new form of schools across the world to enhance students' learning and academic achievement in science and math in K-12 and to promote their interest in STEM in higher education. However, there is little document on the effectiveness of this new form of school, particularly in the Cambodian context.

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