scholarly journals On the Associations among Critical Thinking, Reflective Thinking, and Emotions: a Case of Iranian EFL Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Tahereh Heydarnejad ◽  
Mohammad Reza Ebrahimi ◽  
Hossein Najjari
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
English Language ◽  
Reflective Thinking ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
The Other ◽  
Narrow Sense ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Almost All

The systematic process of gaining knowledge and skills through study and instructions which is called education is of an extreme importance for human being. Education can bring money, equality, independence, and ultimately a prosperous individual which in turn makes a prosperous society at least by economic growth for nations; not to mention that it paves the way for creating a safer world. In this almost mainstreamed trend of being fascinated by education, ‘thinking’ is said to be the Cinderella skill. In the current study, critical thinking, reflective thinking and also emotions were studied to uncover the probable interplay among them. The results of the analysis of questionnaires (Watson-Glaser’s Critical Thinking Appraisal, Reflective Thinking Questionnaire, Emotions Questionnaire for Teachers) filled by 160 EFL teachers in Iran showed a significant relationship among them and almost all Critical Thinking subcomponents were predicting the other two variables. The findings of the study will help further the knowledge in educating in a broader view, and in the field of English Language teaching in a more narrow sense.

Fostering Critical Thinking Using Instructional Strategies in English Classes

2019 ◽  
pp. 299-316
Author(s):  
Şenol Orakcı ◽  
Mehmet Durnali ◽  
Osman Aktan
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
English Classes

The aim of the chapter is to provide both theoretical and practical ideas about critical thinking development within English language teaching contexts. Encouraging language learners to be critical thinkers is important in teaching English as a foreign language. However, achieving the goal remains a challenge. Using various strategies together seem to be effective when properly implemented. Therefore this chapter outlines these strategies which include communicative language tasks, using authentic meaningful texts, using critical literacy, being aware of whole-brain learning, adopting a reflective teaching, enabling students to become autonomous, using explicit instruction, teacher questioning, using active and cooperative learning strategies, using literature in English classes, using creative drama, and adopting self-assessment. Teachers can enable learners to have critical thinking skills and more efficient English lessons by combining these strategies in a new way or by designing critical thinking activities in the classroom.

Gender and Language

2021 ◽  
pp. 161-177
Author(s):  
Didem Koban Koç
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Year ◽  
Teaching Program ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Meanings

The present study investigated gender differences in the use of linguistic features as well as the social meanings attached to those differences. Academic essays, written by 44 (22 male, 22 female) first-year undergraduate students enrolled in the English Language Teaching program at a government university were analyzed with respect to the use of linguistic features (adjectives, empty adjectives, intensifiers, linking adverbials) as well as the number of words and sentences used by the students. The results showed that, in comparison to males, females used more adjectives, intensifiers, and words. Males, on the other hand, used more empty adjectives and linking adverbials than females. Based on the results, pedagogical implications are discussed, and recommendations are provided in order to increase teachers' awareness of gender differences and improve students' writing skills.

scholarly journals Pengeluaran Pemerintah dan Pertumbuhan Ekonomi di Indonesia : Analisis Panel Seemingly Unrelated Regression

2018 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Bayu Kharisma ◽  
Adji Pratikto
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Seemingly Unrelated Regression ◽  
The Other ◽  
Security Sector ◽  
The Government ◽  
Level Of Significance ◽  
Almost All

The paper aims to examine how the growth impact of government spending in Indonesia, with a focus on several expenditure sectors, namely defense, education, health, agriculture, transport and communications, and manufacturing sectors. Based on the 17 sectors studied, only 6 sectors significantly influence economic growth, namely industrial sector, agriculture and irrigation sector, transportation and transportation sector, environment and spatial sector, political sector and mass media lighting, and security of order. Meanwhile, of the six sectors, only the security sector of order has a positive effect on economic growth, while the other five sectors negatively affect economic growth. If not paid attention to the level of significance, almost all sectors of development expenditure have a negative impact on economic growth, only 5 sectors that have a positive influence that is the labor sector, education sector, national culture, trust in God YME, youth and sports, housing and residential sector , the science and technology sector, as well as the security and order sectors. However, only the security sector of order has a significant effect, while the other four sectors have no significant effect. This result differs from previously conclusions, where their overall conclusion of the government development spending sector has a significant effect, the effect being positive. However, the same conclusions are generated for the security and order sectors, where the results are positive and significant.

scholarly journals Exploring the Nature of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programs in a Language Institute

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Hussain Ahmad ◽  
Sayyed Rashid Shah ◽  
Emad A. Alghamdi ◽  
Sayyed Rashid Shah
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Professional Literature ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Reading Professional ◽  
English Language Institute

<p>When it is an undeniable reality that learning is at the centre of teaching profession, we assume that the continuing professional development would be a priority for all teachers. EFL teachers like the teachers of other subjects update their skills and knowledge base in order to keep abreast of the new developments and challenges in the field of English language teaching. The present study seeks to explore how EFL teachers in an English language institute at a Saudi Arabian university perceive the effectiveness of Continuing Professional Development in their context as well as the ways in which different modes of CPD can promote and enhance the teachers' learning. This study was conducted at an English language institute of a Saudi university. The study adopted a quantitative approach using online questionnaire. The quantitative data was collected from 50 EFL teachers who were qualified and experienced in the field of TESOL. The findings from the study showed that the teachers viewed external CPD such as courses, seminars, workshops and conferences, and self-directed endeavors like informal discussions, reading professional literature, and self-reflection more beneficial to their development than the internal CPD like classroom observations and other in-house training sessions. This paper concludes that the institution should improve its internal professional development scheme by expanding the professional development unit's role, enhancing the quality of its mentoring program, and establishing communities of practice wherein teachers engage in highly professional practices.</p>

Some Problems with Talcott Parsons'

1994 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
English Language ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Historical Sociology ◽  
Linguistic Competence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Talcott Parsons ◽  
Language Version ◽  
Continuous Stream ◽  
Almost All

It is a truth sometimes acknowledged in private but not publicly discussed that the only English translation of the most famous work of twentieth century historical sociology is seriously defective. The purpose of this paper is to establish the nature of the defects and to suggest some of their causes and consequences. As I shall seek to show, these involve rather more than matters of technical linguistic competence in German. Although Parsons' translation of Weber is indeed littered with a continuous stream of individual mistranslations, misprints and omissions of up to clause-length which can destroy the meaning of entire paragraphs, a mere catalogue of these would serve little purpose. Nor can one do more than mention his persistent disintegration of Weber's extraordinarily dense and over-burdened sentence structures, which have an average length of something like 8–10 lines: the desire to render Weber into readable English is evident, but so, too, is the damage which necessarily occurs to the meaning and argumentative sequence of the original. In justice to Parsons we must accept that his pioneering achievement was based primarily on an intellectual construction of Weber's meaning; linguistic and stylistic considerations were quite secondary. This order of priorities is one that, rightly, has been observed in almost all subsequent translations of Weber, and one that the present writer also adheres to. On the other hand, precisely the same cause underlies the bulk of Parsons' mistranslations of Weber, since he always believed that the latter required ‘a certain amount of construction’ to bring out his meaning fully [Camic, 22 cf. SOSA 501]. In what follows, then, I shall seek to isolate a series of systematic intellectual distortions occurring in the English-language version of the Protestant Ethic, although this series is selective rather than comprehensive.

scholarly journals FOSTERING STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING BY PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Pryla Rochmahwati
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Data Display

<p>This research focused on fostering students’ critical thinking through Project-Based Learning. The design of the research was descriptive qualitative method. The subjects were the lecturer of TEFL 1 course and 25 students in C class of the fourth semester of STAIN Ponorogo who took TEFL 1 course. The instruments used are in the form of observation sheet and interview guideline. The data analysis applied in this research used data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings showed that the implementation Project-Based Learning that fosters the students’ critical thinking in TEFL class are through the following steps: (1) Discussing the materials about English Language Teaching Method, (2) working with the group to construct scenario of teaching practice, (3) practicing the scenario, (4) recording the teaching practice into video, and (5) evaluating the video product. Moreover, the result of interview indicates that the students showed significantly positive attitude toward the implementation of Project-Based Learning. Finally, English teachers are recommended to implement Project-Based Learning in EFL class since it facilitates the students to build their critical thinking.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> <em>critical thinking, Project-Based Learning</em></p>

scholarly journals Scope of Cooperative Learning (CL) Strategies in Teaching English to Saudi Adult EFL Learners: A Study of Practical Barriers and Possible Implications

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ishtiaq ◽  
Muhammad Sabboor Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Efl Teachers

This study aims at investigating the teachers’ practices and perceptions in teaching English in Saudi Arabia by viewing their stance on Cooperative Learning (CL) — an innovative teaching approach proposed to raise the language proficiency level of adult EFL learners. The study has been conducted in Qassim University, Saudi Arabia—a vibrant and flourishing EFL context. A quantitative tool (a questionnaire) has been used to collect data and to serve qualitative purposes. It reports 80 EFL teachers’ (40 males and 40 females) perceptions about CL using a 17-items comprehensive survey covering all the possible barriers in the way of implementing CL strategies in EFL classes. The survey items also explore how the EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia foresee the implications of making such an innovative move in their classes. The responses have been analyzed on a 5-point Likert scale which ranges from strongly disagree-disagree-neutral-agree-strongly agree. Major findings are that CL strategies have practical barriers but their implications are far more positive. The barriers are mainly due to the wrong learning habits of the adult EFL learners in Qassim University and lack of will and vision of the educational administration. The study recommends that CL strategies need to be given due consideration and support by the administrators and policy makers to raise the proficiency level of adult EFL learners. The study also allays the misconception that majority of the practitioners in English language teaching field are not ready to practice and implement CL strategies in their classes.

scholarly journals Problems Confronted By EFL Teachers in Applying The Communicative Approach in Iraqi Secondary Schools (2002 – 2013)

2015 ◽  
Vol 213 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-154
Author(s):  
Nataq Taha Abdul Abdul – Kareem (MA)
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Communicative Ability ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
Communicative Approach ◽  
Error Avoidance

      Since the academic year 2002–2003 , English language teaching in Iraq has adopted the communicative approach . This means that speaking skill is at the forefront of English teaching practice which has led to a focus on communicative ability and appropriateness of language use , over linguistic accuracy and error avoidance .       This study aims at eliciting EFL teachers' views concerning the optimal number of students and the groups in each class , the optimal number of students in each group , and discussing the group work , the criterion of group structure , error correction , teacher's role , student's role , the large number of students in each classroom , the serious shortage of school buildings , the instability of syllabuses designed according to this approach and the distribution of marks . In this study , open and closed questionnaires were used as investigatory instruments . Furthermore , the questionnaires were supplemented by oral interviews . Finally , relevant recommendations are made .

scholarly journals Promoting Learner Autonomy

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-167
Author(s):  
Said OUSSOU
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Know How ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Language Teachers

Learner autonomy has been the concern of a number of researchers in English language teaching. The concept has begun life since the 1980s. It has been considered in the Moroccan EFL context among the priorities of education, which English language teachers try to implement in their classes. Studies revealed that there are correlations between learner autonomy and other variables related to learners, which makes autonomy a subject of interest and thus an ability that should be fostered. As such, the present study aims at investigating the extent to which secondary EFL teachers promote autonomy in their learners. To achieve this purpose, a quantitative research design was employed in the study, generating and analyzing quantitative data. Therefore, a sample of 96 (57 males and 39 females) EFL teachers completed the questionnaire. Drawing on the findings, it was found that EFL teachers promote learner autonomy to a great extent and that the results were conclusive among the teachers’ rates of levels of agreement and disagreement regarding the strategies for promoting learner autonomy. Thus, it is concluded that the study reported on the extent to which teachers employ a number of strategies to promote learner autonomy and that it does not necessarily mean that the study explained the degree to which teachers know how to implement those strategies, as this would be beyond the purpose of the present study.

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