The sudden global outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019 has led to thriving online teaching, including the teaching of languages, across the world. As the online teaching of English-as-a-foreign-language ...(EFL) in Chinese universities is facing new challenges, EFL teachers have been positively exploring new solutions. To understand how EFL teachers were coping with the challenges, we set up this research as part of a larger study to examine EFL teachers’ cognitions about online teaching in response to the disruption of normal teaching plans. We did so by taking a qualitative approach through analyzing in-depth interviews with three EFL teachers from a Chinese university. Through thematic analysis we found that teachers had clear cognitions about features, advantages, and constraints of online EFL teaching and that they acquired information and communication technology (ICT) literacy through understanding students’ learning needs, online teaching practice, and the necessity of integrating traditional classroom teaching methods into online delivery. We conclude this study with a discussion on its pedagogical implications for similar contexts or colleagues facing similar challenges in other parts of the world.
The focus of this interview is on teaching English as a foreign language in Waldorf schools from grades 4-8. After the first wholly oral and immersive phase in grades 1-3, the gradual progression to ...more conscious language learning begins in grade 4 with the introduction of writing and reading in the foreign language. Silvia Albert-Jahn describes the Waldorf approach to teaching pupils from this point on (roughly the age of 10-13). On hand the different developmental stages occurring during these years, she discusses both the contents and methodology which are used and elucidates the reasons for these choices. At the end of the interview, she considers the general goals of language teaching for this period and discusses the importance of the teacher's relationship to her pupils.
With the flourishing of positive psychology (PP) in foreign and second language teaching research, interest has grown in a range of positive psychological variables including the new concept of ...foreign language teaching enjoyment (FLTE) that mirrors that of learners' Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE). The present study investigates how positive psychological and personality-based variables like resilience, well-being, and L2 grit shape the FLTE of 450 Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. The participants completed four electronic surveys, and the collected data were analyzed through Mplus. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that EFL teachers’ resilience, well-being, and L2 grit significantly influenced their FLTE. In addition, teacher L2 grit was the strongest predictor of FLTE among Iranian EFL teachers. It thus seems that gritty, resilient, and happy teachers are more likely to enjoy the teaching experience in the classroom. Finally, implications and suggestions for future research are offered.
•Resilience, well-being, and L2 grit significantly influence EFL teachers' FLTE.•L2 grit can be a strong predictor of FLTE among EFL teachers.•Gritty and resilient language teachers are more likely to enjoy the teaching experience.•Positive work environment can facilitate EFL teachers' psychological growth.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
This special issue intends to highlight the relevant role of ICTs in language education. In that regard, this monograph brings together contributions that take a closer look at the use of technology ...in the foreign language classroom in the higher education context. The articles included, written by an invited author and four fresh post-doctoral researchers, may bring some light to scholars interested in current trends taking place in educational settings. The monograph closes with one review and an interview with the Interuniversity Institute of Modern Applied Languages (IULMA-UJI) director.
To mitigate transmission of COVID-19, rapid changes in instructional delivery moved from in-person to remote instruction. Although literature from before the crisis suggests that online language ...learners fare at least as well as their face-to-face counterparts, the abrupt shift from face-to-face contexts to remote learning is fundamentally different from planned online learning. Understanding the nature of this shift can inform future online and remote teaching. This national survey study was guided by research questions that explore any substantive change in the practices and perceptions of PreK-12 and post-secondary language teachers’ instruction during COVID-19. It explores any change as related to classroom setting (PreK-12 vs post-secondary) and prior experience with distance education. Data suggest that few language educators reported experiences with or positive perceptions toward teaching online before COVID-19. However, they made numerous adjustments to their typical procedures/policies and expectations while engaged in remote teaching. Educators expressed concerns about student outcomes. PreK-12 teachers and those without prior experience with online teaching were least confident that instructional goals were met despite having reported well-designed courses. Implications for effective remote language teaching are presented for consideration.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
In this article, the task and function of visual and auditory tools used in foreign language teaching, together with technological progress, are explained. Digital devices that enter human life play ...an important role in foreign language teaching and learning, as in every field. New visual and auditory learning models emerge according to intelligence types and learning styles. Using tools and equipment such as mobile learning, computerized material preparation, computerized teaching and learning, flash disks, DVD-VSD, smart boards, and projectors have created new models in foreign language education and teaching. The increasing importance of the internet in human life and virtual programs such as Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram, which develop on the Internet, accelerate thinking differently. Traditional language teaching and methods (texts, grammar-translation methods, communicative methods, functional language teaching, etc.) can no longer meet the needs. It has become a necessity that language teaching and learning should be considered together with cultural elements. It has forced both language education institutions, teachers, and language learners to think differently. As a result of all these, individual learning differences have emerged in acquiring and acquiring a new language. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a new vision.
Motivation, which is important in teaching, has a positive or bad impact on the teacher's performance, which is reflected in student learning as a result of the fact that teacher qualifications are ...intimately linked to the quality of teaching. The aim of this study is to examine the motivational status of foreign language instructors working at higher education institutions in Turkey based on their reasons for choosing the profession of teaching, their contentment with it, their self-efficacy beliefs, and student characteristics. A qualitative case study research method was adopted for the research and the data was collected through interviews via Google forms used in a similar study in a different discipline (Tünkler, 2021). It was aimed to shed light on the motivation status of EFL instructors on foreign language teaching. The results show that foreign language instructors are found to be satisfied with their professions and have self-efficacy skills for foreign language teaching. Additionally, their motivation level showed positive correlation with their students’ motivation level and skills.
Intercultural competence has become one of the important goals of foreign language education. The potential and value of foreign language education on students' intercultural competence (IC) has been ...widely recognized by academia. Currently, most of the research on intercultural foreign language teachers in China focuses on university teachers, with little attention paid to primary school EFL teachers. However, the cultivation of IC is a staged and continuous process which cannot be achieved in one stroke. Therefore, it is necessary to include primary school EFL teachers in the study of IC cultivation. This paper presents data on Chinese primary school EFL teachers' beliefs about incorporating IC into foreign language teaching. Specifically, their understanding of culture, IC, and intercultural teaching practices are investigated through interviews. The interview transcriptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research found: 1. Chinese primary school EFL teachers generally hold an essentialist view of culture; 2. Teachers emphasize the attitudinal dimension of IC; however, they also exhibit a tendency to oversimplify IC or perceive it as a higher-order skill than language proficiency, hence deeming it unsuitable for cultivation at the primary school level; 3. Most cultural teaching practices are teacher-centered, focusing on background knowledge-style introduction. In general, teachers’ intercultural teaching practices align with their cultural outlook. At last, the study explores two suggestions for promoting intercultural foreign language teaching: 1. Supporting primary school EFL teachers in updating their language and culture concepts system; 2. Encouraging teachers to reflect on their daily teaching practices as a major opportunity to promote the development of intercultural foreign language teaching.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Communication is a fundamental skill for the existence and survival of societies. In the learning of a foreign language, classroom practice should focus with priority on developing communicative ...skills. Oracy, a term coined by Andrew Wilkinson in 1965, is defined as the ability to express oneself efficiently, effectively, and fluently. Having strong oracy skills involves the capacity to structure one’s thoughts in a way that is comprehensible to others, and accurate control of both vocabulary and grammar, in order to transmit a clear message. In the same way that literacy is essential for reading and writing, oracy is necessary for becoming a good speaker and listener. This paper will define oracy as a language teaching strategy, establish an oracy framework, and detail on oracy subskills. The practical part takes a pedagogical approach to the concept of oracy and underlines its importance in the teaching of a foreign language by integrating oracy skills and sub-skills in an applied discussion exemplified by concrete classroom practice.
The use of educational videos, an increasingly common practice among students, represents a monodirectional communication that clashes with communicative approaches to foreign language teaching. In ...this study, impulse videos (iVs), videos designed to encourage learner interaction, were introduced to pre-service teachers (PSTs) (N = 44) who were asked to design a lesson using iVs in line with the communicative approach. The PSTs completed a questionnaire to evaluate this learning experience. The results, obtained through qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics, show that the PSTs, far from being technology averse, were reluctant to adopt a communicative approach that reinterprets the use of videos.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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