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

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.

English as a foreign language instruction in Ecuador: Implementation of the Content and Language Integrated-Learning during 2019-2021

Ecuadorian educational policy for English as Foreign Language instruction in Ecuador mandated in 2016 to introduce Content and Language Integrated-Learning (CLIL) methodology to improve the teaching and learning process. This research aims to analyze the implementation of CLIL methodology in zone 4 of Ecuador during 2019-2021. This work subscribed to the transformative paradigm and administrated quantitative and qualitative methods of educational research. The participants were 70 English as a Foreign Language teachers from nine public and private educational institutions located in Manabi Province of Ecuador. The instrument used was the Instructor Perceptions of Differentiated Instruction of Turner, Solis, and Kincade (2017) in an observation format. The information collection techniques used were in-depth interview and focus group discussion. The results allowed the research team to determine the impact of the pandemic on the CLIL implementation in zone 4 of Ecuador. The results show differences in the implementation of the methodology between public and private schools which are linked to internet and technology devices access, teachers' knowledge regarding CLIL methodology, and institutional policies. In regards COVID19 pandemic, it is concluded that it has pacted the implementation of CLIL methodology in both public and private secondary schools that participated in the study.

Does class participation predict academic achievement? A mixed-method study

The present study’s aim is to identify whether class participation is a significant predictor of English language achievement among university students and their views concerning class participation and academic achievement. A sequential mixed method design was applied and a total of 2013 university students (813 female 40.3%; 1200 male, 59.7%) participated in the quantitative portion of the study. Course Participation Grade (CPG) criteria and English Proficiency Exam (EPE) held at the end of the academic year by the institution were used as data collection tools. The qualitative data were analysed through content analysis of a focus group interview with a group of seven participants. The findings suggested that the relationship between academic achievement and CPG was positive and significant. Correspondingly, the qualitative data revealed similar results with the quantitative data by showing that the class participation has powerful impact on academic achievement.

Technology acceptance and usage behaviour of content and language integrated learning teachers in Turkey

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is an approach that combines content and language objectives. Despite substantial expansion over the past two decades, its successful adoption raises several challenges for teachers. Teachers turn to information and communication technologies (ICT) to solve their problems. This study aims to investigate technology acceptance and use of English language teachers adopting the CLIL approach in Turkey, and to identify the difficulties they encounter while integrating technology into practice. The study is explanatory in research design and employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989) as a framework. A 27-item Likert-type questionnaire was used to gather data from 61 teachers practicing in private and public schools. The results showed a statistically significant difference in technology integration intention and use behaviors of teachers. The qualitative data suggested that among the difficulties faced by CLIL teachers were facilitating environments, managerial assistance, and teacher technology awareness.

Critical thinking, literature and teachers’ instructional activities: An Indonesian case of community service program for English teachers

Critical thinking (CT) has generally been known as one of the core competencies of the 21st-century skills that students need to acquire to succeed in today’s world. To attain this goal, teachers undoubtedly have a critical role to play. Involving a group of Indonesian teachers of English, this study aims to explore the teachers’ initial conceptions of critical thinking as reflected in their planned classroom activities. Specifically, the data collected were in the form of written instructional activities that used literary works as learning materials. These data were obtained following the teachers’ participation in an online workshop on promoting critical thinking through literature held for English teachers from MGMP (i.e., English Teachers Working Group) in Bandung Regency. The workshop introduced a model of teaching critical thinking skills using literary works and required the teachers to design their own instructional activities based on the proposed CT model. Adopting content analysis as the methodological tool to scrutinize the teachers’ prepared materials, our initial findings indicate that, in general, the teachers had inadequate knowledge of how to incorporate critical thinking skills into their teaching. Literature was seen merely as a tool to develop students’ linguistic abilities rather than as a way to explore humans’ experiences and to connect ‘the word and the world’. This study recommends that the teachers be given more time to better explore the concepts surrounding critical literacy pedagogy as well as be given more opportunities for practical application of the promoted instructional model.

Constructive alignment of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) language policy implementation to the practices of a multilingual classroom

This descriptive observational study examined the implementation of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) language policy to the classroom practices of a grade three multilingual classroom in the Philippines. The constructive alignment of the said language policy implementation was evaluated in terms of: (1) Mother Tongue (MT) as a subject area, examining specifically the coherence of the teaching and learning activities and assessment criteria used; and (2) MT as a medium of instruction. Findings revealed that there were discrepancies, incongruences, and insufficiencies in the administration of assessments in the alignment of MT as a subject area. These issues resulted in the underdevelopment of the four macro skills of the learners and caused misalignment of the classroom implementation to the language policy. The same is true with the implementation of MT as a medium of instruction in the classroom; however, the use of translation and code-switching of L1, L2, and L3 helped in the comprehension and participation of the students. These findings call for the attention of the policymakers and teachers for a rigorous review of the policy and its actual implementation as it significantly affects the holistic development of the students. This study further contributes to the continuous improvement of the educational system in the country particularly in the K-12 and MTB MLE implementation.

Investigating writing difficulties in essay writing: Tertiary students’ perspectives

This study is primarily designed for investigating the tertiary students’ perspectives on the writing difficulties of essays. This study was conducted in explanatory research in which quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from the web-based questionnaire and semi-structured interview, then analyzed separately. 21 undergraduate students have enrolled in the survey and 6 of them were invited to the interview section. This research reveals tertiary students' problems in essay writing course are categorized into: affective problems which raise from students’ and lecturers’ attitude while teaching and learning Essay Writing Course, cognitive problems that considered as the difficulties in the areas of writing viewpoint, transferring language, and the process of writing, and linguistic problems in the area of lexico-grammar, vocabulary, and the structure of the essay. Due to the findings, those aspects of academic writing should be serious attention for both EFL students and teachers to overcome the problems. The findings of this study have implications for EFL writing course designers as basic data of material improvement and for researchers particularly in the realms of language and education.

Views of Turkish EFL teacher trainees toward technology-integrated PBL practices

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is increasingly becoming popular in teacher education, just like the prevalence in the use of Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) which is an instructional socio-constructivist online tool providing collaborative learning. PBL where learning occurs through real-life problem solving practices is also included in the constructivist approach. This study was designed as a mixed methods research which English as Foreign Language (EFL) teacher trainees were involved in PBL through Moodle with the aim of solving problems related to language teaching and learning which they encountered at practicum schools. Participants were 93 EFL teacher trainees studying at a state university in Turkey. The study aimed to reveal the participants’ views of their PBL experiences within the scope of a Materials Evaluation and Adaptation Course. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews; and analyzed through descriptive statistics and content analysis consecutively. Results demonstrated that the teacher training activities delivered through PBL yielded promising benefits for EFL teacher trainees’ professional development despite some minor flaws faced in the process. Thus, PBL can be considered as a useful method to deliver such courses offered in any branches of teacher education.

Inductive teaching approaches in business English writing in an EFL context: Paper-based and product-based instructions

The study reported in this article compared two different inductive instructional methods implemented in a Business English writing training, including paper-based instruction (PPI) and product-based instruction (PDI). It assessed the effectiveness and examined practical issues of the implementation of each method. A total of 46 Thai students majoring Business English program in a Thai university took part in this study. The students were randomly divided into two groups and put into either PPI or PDI training module. Data were collected from direct observations, focused-group discussions, and students’ writing scores. Qualitative data from the focused-group discussions and observation field notes were analyzed thematically using the grounded theory while students’ writing scores were cross-examined. Results of the study indicate that the fundamental dichotomies between both approaches include the tangibility, authenticity and contextuality. Students’ difficulties in formulating grammar and rules in writing on their own, and students’ perception of learning as a burden were found as the challenges occurred in both modules. The findings also indicate that both PPI and PDI modules trigger the dynamics and positive atmosphere; however, PDI resulted in more vigorous dynamics as student movements and interactions were relatively higher. Finally The findings of this study are beneficial instructors who are seeking innovative instructional methodology to improve their teaching of business English writing. Based on the findings of this study, PDI will enable instructors to create chances for students to learn in authentic professional environments, contexts and culture that are casted in the real-life business situations.

Virtual or face to face classes: Ecuadorian university students’ perceptions during the pandemic

Due to the pandemic, classes have moved online for 2020-2021, and a return to face-to-face classes in the National University of Education (UNAE) in Ecuador is unknown. Students studying in the undergraduate program to be English language teachers are slowly adapting to this new form of E-learning, and some have found that they prefer online classes, while many are waiting for the day they return to classes. The objective of this study is to look at the pros and cons given by 69 students discussing why taking classes virtually or face to face is a better option for EFL and being an ELT professional in these turbulent times. Some prefer online learning for various reasons such as safety, comfort, economic reasons, and having more time in general. While some find E-learning difficult and want to return to synchronous classes because they feel there is little interaction between classmates and teachers, cannot practice English authentically, cannot get clarification from the teacher, have a hard time concentrating online, and there are constant internet connection issues. In conclusion, this information has great importance for teachers today who are struggling to teach in this new medium and teach to the needs of their students to aid in their planning and will contribute to future teachers who will teach online.