Foundation in Law students’ reading awareness of the case law genre

Background: A text of different genre might pose a different problem to students and different genre requires different approach in understanding and comprehending it. Developing the expertise in reading legal texts at an early stage of learning will be very beneficial to the students of law. This study examines the level of pre-university/foundation in law students’ awareness for the case law genre, and the aim of this study is to investigate the extent of awareness of the case law genre among the foundation in law students. Methods: Five students who were pursuing their study in the foundation/pre-university level were selected as the subjects in this study. Qualitative data were obtained through the think-aloud procedure and questionnaire which was administered after the think-aloud procedure. The transcription of each student’s verbal reports was scrutinised for evidence of genre awareness while the answers given in the questionnaire were used to support the findings of the study. Genre analysis of 4-Move structure was used to identify the students’ level of awareness. Results: The findings indicate that the students were aware of the case law genre. However, they displayed a mixed-level of awareness. Conclusion: It is hoped that this study can provide some insights into the reading behaviour of law students especially when reading case law. Knowing and understanding the case law structure is integral for law students, and analysing students understanding of reading case law can help both the students and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) educators.

Fostering Active Learning via Critical Pedagogies

This chapter aims to provide a guideline for pre-service and in-service teachers to apply reflective research in language classrooms to gain a multidimensional overview of language teaching strategies in increasing active learning via critical pedagogies. A previously conducted reflective research will be used throughout the chapter to reach the stated aim. Analyzing language teaching techniques and strategies in an English for Academic Purposes classroom where all the students are originally from East Asia, the sample reflective research illustrates the needs and expectations of East Asian students in language learning through the research students, and also it aims to provide clues for TESOL educators to implement a similar study in classrooms employing critical pedagogies to develop language instruction.

Assessment of EAP Literacies in Diverse and Multilingual Classrooms

Older views of the English for Academic Purposes Literacies (EAPL) assessment have been in line with the assessment of the four-skills second language (L2) competencies. However, the new understanding is that literacy is not just a cognitive competence of reading and writing but also a set of other purposeful social processes. This understanding makes EAPL assessment multifaceted by calling upon a set of supra-linguistic behaviors, i.e., cognitive and social skills in addition to L2 competencies. This chapter starts with a brief history and the current state of theoretical constructs (of what is actually assessed) of EAPL assessment. It then centers its discussion on different academic literacies models, and the critical issues in measuring EAPL. The author highlights different strategies for planning assessment in the practical applications of academic literacies constructs. The chapter ends with the presentation of useful steps in creating EAPL assessments.

The Implementation of Reading Text Strategies in Enhancing EFL Learners Vocabularies: A Case of One Islamic Higher Education in Jambi, Indonesia

The purpose of this study was to reveal the lecturer’s strategy in enhancing students’ English vocabularies in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. 3 English lecturers who have ever taught English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in non-English department were involved in this study. The data were collected through semi-structure interview. Thematic analysis was applied for analysis the participants’ interview result. Finding of this study show that; first. the participants used selected reading text as a media of enhancing students vocabularies. Second, the strategy was implemented through small group discussion and pair work to make students actively participated in sharing the knowledge. Third, the participants evaluated the students’ understanding of reading text strategy by asking them to work individually without any assistance from the group members This study recommended that the findings can be a basis consideration in enhancing students’ vocabularies in the process of teaching and learning.

L2 learning online: Self-directed learning and gender influence in Indonesian university students

The present study was conducted to investigate Indonesian second language (L2) learners’ Self-Directed Learning (SDL) in English during the online classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic and to investigate whether there was a significant difference in SDL between female and male learners. As online learning is implemented nationwide in Indonesia due to the pandemic, it becomes paramount to investigate learners’ SDL, considered very critical in online learning settings where teachers' ability to check learners' progress is not as extensive as it is in the face-to-face mode of instruction. The participants of the study were 187 undergraduate students taking English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes. Through the data obtained from the online questionnaire, the study found that learners, in general, reported a high level of SDL even though many of them still embraced procrastination behaviours and considered the pragmatic need to pass the EAP class more important than the actual L2 learning. It also found that there was no significant difference between female learners’ SDL and that of male learners. Based on the findings and analysis of the possible factors, possible contributions of the study are presented along with the possible limitations and suggested directions for future research in the field. HIGHLIGHTS: Learners, in general, reported a high level of SDL. Despite that, many of them still embraced procrastination behaviours and considered the pragmatic need to pass the English for Academic Purposes class more important than the actual L2 learning.

English for Academic Purposes Programs: Key Trends Across Canadian Universities

Because of the large number of post-secondary English for academic purposes (EAP) programs and the varying ways they are structured, it can be difficult to identify how a particular program fits within the overall landscape of university education. To identify general trends across Canada, the webpages for 74 EAP programs at 50 public English-medium universities were examined for key information related to each program. Data analysis included descriptive statistics as well as graphical representation. The results pointed to typical EAP programs that are independent units that offer non-credit courses with some credit options, have international tuition fees around $9,000 per semester, provide approximately 22 hours of instruction per week, and generally require IELTS scores over 5.0 or TOEFL iBT scores over 59 for entry. These results provide an avenue of comparison and indicate the need for future research to better understand how EAP programming is conceptualized in the Canadian context.

Willing, Silent or Forced Participation? Insights from English for Academic Purposes Classrooms

This study explores students’ participation in English for Academic Purposes classrooms from both teachers’ and students’ perspectives. Data were collected from videotaping of 11 English for academic purposes classes, semi-structured interviews with 12 teachers and stimulated-recall interviews with 33 students. The results indicate that three types of participation were identified, including willing, silent and forced participation. The results also show that a range of contextual and individual factors affect students’ participation in class activities and discussions. The contextual factors include class atmosphere, teacher support, peer participation, task, topic and interactional pattern. The individual factors include students’ confidence, personality and their perceived and actual communicative competence. Pedagogical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

The Language Ecology of Graduate Students: An Exploration through Vocabulary Contribution

This study explores the language ecology of graduate students through vocabulary contribution. Understanding students’ learning ecology may be done through the identification of pertinent sociomaterial networks with which students engage to initiate or complement learning. This study was set in an academic writing module taught by the researcher. An open invitation was extended to his students to contribute any vocabulary they encountered outside of his classroom. Along with the vocabulary contribution, students also had to provide the excerpt where the word occurred and the source-type. Contributions were made on an online Excel file. There was a total of 277 contributions made, of which 259 were unique (229 words and 30 unique strings of words). Students’ contributions of strings of words were not anticipated. A majority of these contributions came from academic sources, such as research articles or book chapters, which may be a pertinent aspect of the graduate students’ language ecology. Through the findings, it is recommended that English for academic purposes (EAP) or English for specific purposes (ESP) instructors identify language ecologies found in the broader university setting to glean relevant pedagogical materials that can support students’ language development.