Education Commons^™

Dramatic Storytelling Develops Emergent Literacy In Efl: Evidence From The Uae Kindergartens, Ghada Yahya Alkilani

Dissertations

There is increasing importance of the English language for educational excellence and career success in the UAE. The early years is a sensitive period for language acquisition, and preschool age is the best time to learn English as a foreign language (EFL). Stories are a main vehicle used in early childhood education (ECE) to engage children in language learning. Although previous studies have found dramatic storytelling to be particularly effective in developing children’s emergent literacy in English as a native language, little is known about the effect of dramatic storytelling on developing young children’s emergent literacy in EFL. Also, there …

Teaching Culture In The Argentinian Efl Classroom: Beliefs, Practice And Challenges, María Mercedes Sempé

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The need to address culture in EFL/ESL classrooms has been stressed by scholars in the SLA field for decades (see Kramsch, 1993, 2009, 2011; Byram, 1988; Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013). The original intention of working with culture in the English classes as a means to develop language proficiency –sociocultural competence– was expanded, and nowadays, the focus is on the role culture instruction has in developing empathy and respect for other ways of living and in promoting reflection about learners’ own lifestyle –intercultural competence (Byram, 1988, 2008; Deardoff, 2006). This new focus on cultural instruction is reflected in national curriculums around …

Collaboration And Reconciliation In English Language Teaching? Personal Reflections On Critical Incidents, Michael Lessard-Clouston

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

Collaboration is largely assumed in English language teaching, while reconciliation is often a goal in this discipline. This article briefly introduces frameworks to help us think about collaboration and to understand reconciliation. Next it discusses three critical incidents in EFL teaching and ESL teacher education from personal experience in China, Indonesia, and the United States. Using the literature and frameworks outlined, the article reflects on cultural and other challenges, notes helps and hindrances to collaboration, and possible ways such issues were or might have been reconciled in the three incidents.

English Language Learners Of Chinese Immigrant Families In Canadian Schools, Jiayang Shi

Major Papers

Given the context that many Chinese immigrant families are settling in Canada, their children, as English language learners (ELLs), have encountered a variety of obstacles and barriers while studying at local schools. The purpose of this Major Research Paper (MRP) is to understand the obstacles and barriers that Chinese newcomer ELLs in Ontario have encountered and hence to offer some helpful suggestions. A series of official documents of Ontario ELL curriculum has been introduced to school educators by the Ontario Ministry of Education (2005, 2008), such as Many Roots, Many Voices: Supporting English Language Learners in Every Classroom and Support …

What’S Wrong With My Pronunciation? Pronunciation Difficulties Experienced And Strategies Employed By Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers In Turkey, Vasfiye Geckin

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Foreign language teachers are expected to have mastery of the phonological system of the target language. Since they are often (mis)judged on the basis of their pronunciation, the perceived pronunciation difficulties and strategies of teacher candidates deserve an in-depth exploration prior to practicum. With the aims of identifying (i) the pronunciation problems preservice teachers experience, (ii) the strategies they use to overcome these difficulties and (iii) whether having an extra year of language studies before starting undergraduate courses contributes to their perceived beliefs about pronunciation skills, data from forty-two teacher candidates will be reported. The participants responded to a questionnaire …

Learning Efl Online Through Blogger And Flipgrid In Higher Education: A Collaborative Project In Times Of Pandemic, Montserrat Iglesias

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

A methodological online approach for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a higher education context is presented in this paper. The pedagogical experience is described and examined following a mixed-methods approach based on bibliometric analysis, content analysis, and categorization. The participants were a group of undergraduate students (n=17) at CETT Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy, from the University of Barcelona (Spain), who had to switch to virtual learning due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. They were required to work on a collaborative project arranged in four stages using a …

“No Hay Que Cercenar A Los Estudiantes”: Maestros De Inglés Descolonizando Sus Ideologías Lingüísticas Y Prácticas Pedagógicas En Colombia, Rosa A. Medina Riveros, Diana Angelica Parra Perez, Theresa Y. Austin

College of Education Working Papers and Reports Series

Con la globalización y la conectividad, las personas, sus idiomas y culturas entran en contacto a veces chocando entre sí; produciendo prácticas lingüísticas híbridas. El multilingüismo crítico y el translanguaging/ translenguajear son herramientas poderosas que nos pueden guiar para navegar la hibridación cultural y la diversidad semiótica. Esta ponencia explora cómo docentes de Inglés como lengua extranjera en Colombia utilizan el multilingüismo crítico y el translanguaging/ translenguajear (García & Li Wei, 2014) como herramientas de descolonizar sus propias ideologías y prácticas docentes.

En el contexto de un desarrollo profesional transnacional de un año con profesores multilingües de inglés como lengua …

Effective Ways To Lower Muslim Immigrant Students' Anxiety In Esl Classes: A Handbook For Educators, Mehrnaz Ayazi

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

This field project is a handbook for educators that recommends effective ways of lowering Muslim refugee students' anxiety in ESL classrooms. Schools are challenging for refugee and immigrant students as they have to navigate school systems that do not accommodate their unique needs. As a result, Muslim refugee students are often discriminated against, marginalized, and bullied in schools. They suffer from low self-confidence, high anxiety, and lack of motivation. Research concludes that educational institutions in host countries are ill-equipped in creating an equitable education and school environment for Muslim refugee students due to the lack of educators’ training and …

Industrial Engineering Tools, Lucas Santos

ESL for Academic Purposes

The unit presents an interesting combination between Industrial Engineering tools and language learning. The tools are utilized in a way that facilitates engineers’ language skills development. The unit is intended for industrial engineers who work for multinational companies in either an ESL or EFL context. Learners should have a B2 level of proficiency or higher. By working through the unit, learners will increase their technical vocabulary, structure, reading, speaking, and writing skills.

Constructing Professional Identities: Native English-Speaking Teachers In South Korea, Natalie-Jane Howard

The Qualitative Report

Responding to globalisation, a ubiquitous obsession with English has pervaded South Korea and led to the employment of tens of thousands of expatriate English teachers. However, native-speaking English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers may be subject to marginalisation and acculturation difficulties as they navigate overseas employment contexts. Moreover, scholars question the legitimacy of their careers and challenge the bias for their native-speaker expertise. Against this contentious backdrop, this study explores how the experiences and beliefs of native-speaking EFL teachers both promote and hinder their professional identity constructions. Adopting a qualitative, interpretivist approach, interviews are mobilised to document the participants’ …

Serving In The Kingdom: A Volunteer Experience In The Development Of Efl Literacy In Tonga, Melissa Wise

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

For three years I had the privilege of living and serving in the Kingdom of Tonga, a group of islands in the South Pacific, as a Master’s International Program student and Peace Corps volunteer. In Tonga, I worked as an English Literacy Facilitator, partnering with counterparts on diverse projects to improve English language and literacy instruction in local schools.

In the most recent revision of its national curriculum, one of the sustainable development goals of the Tongan Ministry of Education is for teachers to learn strategies for the effective use of libraries, books, and technological resources in their teaching. To …

Indonesian Students' Perceptions Of Written Feedback In Second Language Writing, Rahmah Fithriani

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Grounded in sociocultural theory, written feedback activities in second language (L2) writing provide the social interactions that help learners develop their psychical functions within the zone of proximal development (ZPD) as they co-construct knowledge with teachers and peers through guided learning (De Guerrero & Villamil, 2000). Written feedback can also help student writers improve their writing proficiency, including organization of their texts and awareness of the mechanics of the language necessary for successful communication of the intended message (Chandler, 2003; Ferris, 2006; Jahin, 2012; Kamimura, 2006).

Regarding the eminence of feedback in L2 writing, a large body of research has …

Music Speaks, We Listen: A Teacher's Guide For Using Music In The Adult Ell Classroom, Honora Mitchell

Master's Projects and Capstones

Too often adult ESL students are stymied by high levels of perfectionism, self-consciousness and anxiety when trying to learn English. They are further challenged because they may have come from a country where language teaching methods have not kept up with the times, so have an imbalance of skills—lacking speaking and listening skills. When students’ affective filters are high and their motivation is low they are less open to learning. Students need authentic, culturally-relevant material to stimulate learning and activate their multiple intelligences. The purpose of this project is to introduce adult ESL teachers to using popular songs to teach …

Efl Teachers’ Perceptions And Practices About Assessment At The Universidad Central Del Ecuador, Evelyn Veronica Almeida Garcia

Research and Development Supported by El Centro

Despite rising interest in understanding how language mastery is assessed, our knowledge of language assessment, alternatives in assessment, feedback, peer and self-assessment, as well as our understanding of teachers’ perceptions of assessment and their subsequent assessment practices is still quite limited. In my experience, language assessment is not always aligned with what and how students learn in their EFL classes. My aim is to conduct a case study of three EFL teachers from the Centro de Idiomas (Language Center) in the UCE and examining how their knowledge and beliefs about assessment influence their practices in class. I will collect data …

Teaching English To North Korean Refugees At Banseok School In South Korea: An Interview With Amanda Decesaro, Alzo David-West, Amanda Decesaro

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

This interview addresses teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to young-adult North Korean refugees at Banseok School (Pansŏk Hakkyo) in Seoul. A Christian institution supported by Sarang Church (Sarang ŭi Kyohoe), the school offers education, mentorship, and volunteer services in preparation for university admission in South Korea and for the anticipated reunification of the two Koreas. Amanda DeCesaro discusses her volunteer conversation class and methods, student learning needs and social hierarchies, emotions in the language classroom, attitudes toward English, interactions with other learners, and how educators should knowledgeably and compassionately engage North Korean refugee students. The interview was conducted …

Strategies To Reduce Foreign Language Anxiety In Adult Efl Students Of The European Union, Kathleen Hershner

Master's Projects and Capstones

One of paradoxes in adult foreign language learning is that older learners must communicate in the very language, in this case English, they struggle to acquire. The discomfort that arises from needing to use deficient or non-existent skills in a new language is more acutely felt in adults than children. Adults approach learning new languages with an assumed level of control over themselves and their environment and can easily become frustrated when they're unable to maintain their usual levels of confidence and competence, which can lead to foreign language anxiety. FLA is a specific kind of anxiety defined as an …

Is English A Force For Good Or Bad?, Kitty B. Purgason

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

A survey of university students in China and Kuwait asked for their opinions about the effects of English on various aspects of their life and world: personal character and morals, material well-being, spiritual or religious development, family ties, local social change, international peace or conflict, and international interpersonal harmony. The results were overwhelmingly positive. Both the literature review and specific comments by some respondents suggest positive effects of English that can be encouraged and negative ones that may be countered through language policy, curriculum and materials, or classroom teachers. I also offer suggestions for future research and classroom teachers.

Faith And Pedagogy: Five Voices From Japan, Paul Wicking

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

Despite a recent increase in research into the relationship between faith and practice in ELT, the ways in which actual Christian teachers make meaning of their faith through pedagogy remains largely unexplored. There is little empirical data about the ways in which witnessing and evangelism are (or are not) conducted through English classes. The present study is an analysis of interview data collected from five evangelical Christian teachers living and working in Japan. The participants vary considerably in age and teaching context, yet all share a strong religious faith and a desire to express it through their profession. Each participant …

Towards Student Involvement In Essay Assessment, Aynur Yürekli, Evrim Üstünlüoğlu

Essays in Education

In language teaching, assessment is one of the most formidable challenges for both the students and the teachers. Especially, when the assessment of productive skills which are subjective by their nature are concerned, the "challenge" could very well turn into a "nightmare" for both parties. In order to avoid this undesired possibility, the attitude of the grader and the students towards the evaluation rubric is as vital as the rubric itself.

This study describes the standardization process of the writing rubric for the assessment of essays, which is accepted both by the graders and the learners who are subject to …