English Language
90 theses under this subject heading
Students’ and English Language Teachers’ Perceptions of Language Needs and the Curriculum in the First Year at University of Duhok
This study explores how freshmen and English language teachers perceive the English language needs of first year students who are currently studying a general foundation course that is based on an adopted textbook at University of Duhok in Kurdistan region of Iraq. Following a target-situation and present situation approaches to needs analysis, this study uses a mixed method research design in which both qualitative and quantitative data are collected from three different sources: freshmen, English language teachers and decision makers. The quantitative part of the study is statistically analyzed using SPSS, while the qualitative part is thematically analyzed in order to come out with major ideas that were configured during interviews. The results of the questionnaire indicated to the positive views of both students and teachers towards freshmen’s language needs. In general, both students and teachers believe that freshmen need to have a general foundation course that covers both general knowledge of English and subjects that will feed their instrumental needs in present and future situations. Relatively, the results of interviews reassured these ideas when the stakeholders stated clearly that freshmen at Duhok University need a general foundation course at tertiary level to be proceeded by an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Moreover, the results signified that the currently in-use course book does not fulfil students’ academic, social and vocational needs and the reason was mainly attributed to the time allotted for this course which is believed to be insufficient. These findings indicate that the currently in-use textbook, though general, does indeed fulfil students’ needs to certain extent in comparison with students assumed proficiency level and the learning context. Consequently, we suggest this textbook be supplied by another material that will address students’ academic needs, and the university provide a training for the teaching staff on how to teach this textbook and most importantly, the course be extended to at least two consecutive academic years. A future evaluation of the curriculum at this stage is highly recommended.
The Effect of Web-based Instructional Learning Environment on Enhancing Microteaching Experience in English Language Teacher Education
In second language teacher education programs microteaching has always been a significant technique to help bridge theory to practice and prepare the trainees (i.e., preservice teachers) for real classroom contexts. The expected benefits from 10-15 minute-microteaching sessions are the communication among the trainees and supervisor, collaboration with each other, and reflection on the teaching. However, due to some constraints such as time and big class size, these benefits may not be derived easily. The related literature discussed these challenges quite extensively and offered some solutions. However, there are relatively fewer studies which explored preservice teachers’ gains when technology is integrated into the traditional microteaching sessions. Therefore, this study aims to explore how the effect of a designed Web-based instructional learning environment (hereafter WeBILE) was perceived by the participating preservice teachers on developing their communication, collaboration and reflection in microteaching process. In so doing, 52 Kurdish preservice English language teachers were asked to use the WeBILE for six weeks. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from questionnaires, the system analytics, reflection journals, and semi-structured interviews. The results of the data analysis reveal that the designed WeBILE has been perceived quite effective in supporting and improving the preservice teachers’ microteaching practice and solving the defined microteaching problems by creating opportunities for communication, collaboration and reflection in microteaching process among the preservice teachers.
Academic Discourse Socialization of Graduate PhD Students
The present study explored the graduate students’ socialization through and to the oral academic discourse in the Department of Foreign Language Education (former ELT Department) in Northern Cyprus. Through an ethnographic design (comprising micro- and macro-perspectives) it provided attested discourse evidence and interview insights to the socialization experiences of the culturally and linguistically diverse candidates in the space of a graduate classroom, as well as across various spaces in the academic context. The results indicated that the students’ participation in the wholeclass academic discussions as well as outside the classroom discursive activities and practices was conducive to their gradual socialization to and through the oral academic discourse. Specifically, the students accrued epistemic stance, employed intertextuality, and constructed intersecting identities in that they enacted various discourse and situated identities as well as transported unique personal, academic and professional identities. The findings revealed that the socialization experiences of the PhD students were challenging, however rewarding in that they learnt to cope with their advanced academic studies through exercising their agency and were constructing academic identity as a form of competence in the graduate community. Keywords: oral academic discourse, participation, whole-class discussion, socialization, identity, novice/expert, intertextuality, stance, agency.
Feeling of Foreign Language Anxiety Among Non-Native-Speaking Teachers Having their Postgraduate Program
Researchers and even language teachers have been concerned for a couple of decades with the concept of foreign languages anxiety in the field of English language teaching. Since the number of Non-Native-Speaking (NNS) teachers is globally growing (Selvi, 2011), this indicates a need to addressing teacher language anxiety more than ever. Therefore, the present study was set out to assess the foreign language anxiety among postgraduate students who were NNS teachers having their postgraduate program. This study was carried out with 48 international NNS teachers during their postgraduate program at Eastern Mediterranean University in Northern Cyprus to explore a such feeling. Two questionnaires (FLCAS and TFLAS) were administered with all participants in the current study. A group of eight participants were purposefully chosen from the total number of participants based on their level of anxiety and were asked to state their opinion in an open - ended written question scale (Affinities) about the foreign language anxiety sources. They were also interviewed in order to explore the impact of language anxiety on language teaching approaches. First, based on the results of FLCAS, the current study found that NNS teachers did experience different level of foreign language anxiety. The results demonstrated that some participants suffered from high levels of anxiety. Second, Class Arrangement, Genetic and Personal Characteristics, Anxieties, and Social and Cultural Factors were the main sources of their feeling of language anxiety. On other hand, the affinities Achievement, Motivation and Interests, and Individual Learning Approach were not found to be focal points that hinder the participants’ language learning in this study. Third, this study found that anxious postgraduates who were NNS teachers are highly susceptible to feelings of foreign language teacher anxiety which possibly affect their approach of teaching the target language. The results revealed that anxious postgraduates appeared to have a sense of perfectionism tendencies by showing their high demands for teaching the language anxiety. The study ends with recommendations for anxious teachers in order to alleviate their anxiety. Keywords: Foreign Language Learning Anxiety, Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety, Affinity, NNS teachers, Postgraduate Students.
Using Storybooks to Teach English to Young Learners
This thesis would try to analyze and understand whether or not the use of stories will be beneficial to the children. The findings tried to help us to understand if the use of stories stimulated the children to learn the English language, and would stories increase the perception of the students towards the English language. The study was conducted at Alasya Primary School in Northern Cyprus, in total thirty two primary children aged between ten and eleven which contributed to the study. The participants were surveyed during interview with observation in the classroom, questionnaire. The researcher’s field notes were also included in the study. The questionnaire and interview questions were adapted from Gardner (2004). The interviews and questionnaire had been held one by one and due to the age of the participants. The method of analysis was statistical and Descriptive. The interviews were taped, copied and converted into English by the investigator. Using the statistical package 22 the findings were implemented. The overall results showed that the stories had a positive impact on the learners and that they motivated towards the lesson. According to the outcomes of the study, some implications for teaching and further research are suggested. Keywords: stories, motivation, young learners, motivation, cultural variances
Difficulties in Dealing with English Prepositions of Place Encountered by Students with Native Arabic Language Background
This study investigated the errors that Arab EFL learners produce when they use the English spatial prepositions above, among, at, behind, below, between, in front of, on, and under. Also, the role of the mother tongue in producing such errors in using these ten prepositions was under investigation in this study. The participants of this study were 72 Arab students 48 males and 24 females, who study at the Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School, Eastern Mediterranean University. All the participants were Arabic native speakers, and they were from different Arabic countries which are: Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Morocco. A test consisted of two parts was used to collect data. The first part was fill-in-the-blank question which contained 30 questions about the ten prepositions of place (three questions for each preposition). And the second part was a picture incomplete sentence which had 20 incomplete sentences (two questions for each preposition). The data obtained from the participants was analyzed qualitatively by checking the answers and scoring the wrong answers for each preposition. Results showed that Arab EFL learners have the problem of substitution in using English prepositions of place. In addition, leaving the question with no answer was employed by the participants. The results about the role of the mother tongue found that negative transfer played a role in the production of these errors. Finally, the study provides implications for Arab EFL learners regarding the use of English spatial prepositions, and some suggestions for further research in this area. Keywords: Negative transfer, Substitution, Spatial prepositions, Language interference.
The Role of Short Stories in Improving Vocabulary of Kurdish EFL Learners
The current study aimed to investigate the effects of short stories on vocabulary development of pre-intermediate Kurdish EFL leaners. To this end, 40 students enrolled in Raparin Non- Governmental Institute for Computer Science in Kurdistan region of Iraq, participated in this study. To determine the level of the participants, Oxford Placement Test was administered and the participants were randomly placed in two equal groups (control & experimental). A vocabulary proficiency test (pre-test) was also administered to the participants to see whether they were homogenous in terms of their vocabulary knowledge. During the study, the experimental group used the course book (Hughes, 2006) and short stories (Lost and Found, Anniversary Day, Act like the Others, A Secret Talent, and Online Dating and True Adventure Stories) as taching materials while the control group used only the course book. To see the difference between the control and experimental groups at the end of the course, the same vocabulary proficiency test was given to the participants in both groups as a posttest. The participants also completed the vocabulary learning strategy survey. Data collected through the aforementioned instruments were analyzed using independent samples a t-test to compare the mean scores of the control and experimental groups. Results indicated that the experimental group who were exposed to short stories out performed the control group in the posttest. Survey feedback analysis showed that students in both group used determination strategy more than the other four strategies.
The Sociopolitical Changes and the Foreign Language Planning and Policy in KRI: The Case of English Language
The current thesis presents a detailed study on language planning and policy in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) vis-à-vis the role of English. The topic is formulated under the framework of social action theory which infers that each ethnic group strives to be represented in terms of language rights and standardization and, as a result, language becomes a domain where groups contend to assert their power. The research pursues a mix-method design to consider the linguistic landscape from different perspectives, including a critical socio-historical approach. Considering the sociopolitical developments, both top-down and bottom-up approaches in planning language policy were adopted. The questionnaires were used to analyse the Kurdish students’ responses towards using English as a medium of instruction. Besides, the attitudes of Kurdish parents of the region were also recorded in the study. Further, the correlation analysis reveals that Kurdish parents hold positive attitudes; however, they have been influenced by religious and national factors. It has been revealed that Kurdish parents confer more importance on studies in Kurdish or religion than on English language education. The major argument in this thesis aims to overview a reliable or valid image of linguistic landscape and presents a transformative language planning and policy to Kurdish authorities, as an alternative to the current situation of LL. The transformative language planning and policy, which promotes pertinent guidelines to reform and redesign the language planning and policy, can be congenial for planning a new language policy to this region. The critical analysis of relevant documents to language planning and policy reveals that there is an unsystematic framework of linguistic landscape in the region, and the efforts couldn’t meet the expectations of changing socio-economic episodes of the region.
An Investigation into the Influence of Montessori Method on Professional Development of EFL Teachers and Productive Skills of Students with Autism
Educating students with special needs specifically those suffering from autism spectrum disorder is a challenging task and requires much effort, and professionality, and employment of further strategies than those applied to normal students. However, most teachers working with autistic students do not have adequate knowledge and skills required to teach to this group of students. Therefore, this qualitative study was designed to investigate the influence of the training of Montessori method on professional development of EFL teachers. This study also aimed to explore the influence of teachers’ training of Montessori method on L2 productive skills of students with autism. To this end, three EFL teachers who dealt with 10 students with autism from an educational center for autistic children in Iran were recruited to participate in a 10-week teacher training of Montessori Method. The theory and practice issues of Montessori education were introduced and discussed during four workshops which also included open discussions. While attending the workshops, Montessori Method were implemented in three English language classes of students with autism. Four instruments including approaches to teaching inventory, interviews, open discussion sessions, and observation were used to collect data. The results of the inventory indicated that the Montessori-oriented training changed the teachers’ approach of teaching English to the autistic students. teachers’ perceptions of their changes were characterized by adopting a role as a facilitator, extending teacherstudent relationship, incorporating material suitable for students with autism, providing an opportunity to learn more independently. Teachers also perceived that Montessori Method could be effective in teaching English to autistic students and it could improve their L2 productive skills, their motivation, foster more independence, and enhance their interaction with peers. This study yielded some implications for teachers, teacher educators and educational material developers. Keywords: Montessori Method, professional development, EFL teachers, autism, L2 productive skill
Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of an Effective English Language Teacher
The present study mainly aimed to investigate the students‟, instructors‟ and alumni‟s perceptions of an effective English language teacher in the English Language Teaching (ELT) Department at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). To this aim, personal qualities, professional qualities, pedagogical skills and classroom behaviors of effective English language teachers as perceived by the students, instructors and alumni were identified. The study was designed as a qualitative and quantitative (i.e. a mixed-type) case study. The participants included 82 undergraduate ELT students (student teachers), 10 instructors and 20 alumni. The data was collected through questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews from three groups of participants. The results of the study showed that the perceptions of each group of participants generally differed from another although some similarities were identified. According to the students and alumni, in order to be an effective English language teacher, professional qualities, pedagogical skills and classroom behaviors are more important than personal qualities. On the other hand, the instructors believed that the combination of all qualities is necessary for being an effective English language teacher. The overall findings of the study revealed that the highly important qualities of an effective English language teacher as perceived by the participants were: being fair, reducing students‟ anxiety, being good at classroom management, knowing students‟ names, correcting students without offending, being encouraging, approachable and patient, teaching speaking skills well, having good knowledge of vocabulary and having correct pronunciation, respectively. Although most of the qualities were perceived important, three qualities which are gender, being young and having lived in an English speaking country, were been perceived slightly important. In the light of the results of the study, some implications for pedagogy and further research are suggested. Keywords: effective teacher, English language, teacher qualities, perceptions
Anxiety in Foreign Language Learners: A Case Study of Kurdish Students
The study was carried out to investigate foreign language anxiety levels of high school students in grade 11th from a Kurdish setting in Kurdistan, Iraq, as well as to figure out the factors that are responsible for their anxiety. The sample population of this study consists of 87 students from two high schools in Irbil. All the participants in this study are native speakers of Kurdish studying English as a foreign language (EFL). The instruments used in this study are background questionnaire, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), open ended questions and researcher’s field note. The results of this study show that public Kurdish high school students experienced language anxiety. The main factors causing anxiety in the context of this study are learners’ attitudes and beliefs regarding English language learning; classmates’ level of speaking ability; teacher-student interaction in class; the teacher’s questioning when students are not prepared; and unannounced pop quizzes; and the teacher’s explanation in class through explicit means. Among other significant factors are seeing others speaking better English; fear of being laughed at by others; others’ thoughts and reactions when they speak English. In this regard, the findings in this study are in line with those of previous studies, such as Chan and Wu (2004), Young (1991), Young (1994), MacIntyre (1995), Awan, et al. (2010). This study adds to the body of knowledge on the understanding of EFL learners' level of anxiety and factors that cause anxiety.
The Use of the Linguistic Landscape of a University Campus for English Language Teaching and Learning Purposes
This study will give account on the possible use of the linguistic landscape of a university campus for pedagogical purposes. The study was conducted at the Department of Foreign Language Education (FLE), in the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), the only state university of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Qualitative research has been used for the purpose of receiving direct reactions on the multilingual campus from prospective teachers of English language. 13 MA students from the department of FLE participated in the interview which revealed data on their reflections on signs used in the campus of EMU and their perceptions on the idea of including linguistic landscape into the language learning process. The findings of the study show that prospective teachers of English have positive perceptions about the use of linguistic landscape as a tool for pedagogical purposes, believe in its power and benefits, and are generally willing to include it into their own teaching. Furthermore, the results provide data on how signs are used in the campus of the university and how the participants interpret them. Signs have been categorized and analyzed with a focus on language use and language policy of the university. Moreover, several ways of integrating the linguistic landscape into language education have been summarized and presented in line with previous studies. The findings should make an important contribution to the field of sociolinguistics by demonstrating the usefulness of our surroundings and its benefit in language education and furthermore raise awareness of prospective language teachers. Keywords: Linguistic Landscape, EMU Campus, English Language Teaching, Language Learning, Signs
Medical Students’ Perceived Needs Considering the English Language Skills from the Perspective of Students and Instructors in Eastern Mediterranean University
The present study aimed at investigating the medical students’ perceived needs for the four language skills, the instructors’ perceptions of the students’ needs of four skills, the similarities and differences between students’ and instructors’ opinions in terms of students’ needs of those four skills as well as the instructors’ views on English language needs of the medical students at the Eastern Mediterranean University. To conduct the study, a mixed methodology was employed. The participants included ninety-nine medical students at the medical department and seven instructors who taught the English courses and medical courses at the same department in the academic year of 2019. The quantitative phase included data collection adapting Taşçi’s (2007) questionnaire. To collect qualitative data structured interviews with the instructors were conducted. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS and the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic emergent coding. Based on the findings, it was revealed that both the students and the instructors believed that English language is vital in their education. However, the students believed that failing in the courses must not hinder them from continuing their studies at the Medical Department; whereas, the instructors’ perception was not same. Also, it was found that the most prioritized skill for the students was speaking while the instructors believed that it was reading. Based on the sub-constructs analysis, it was observed that they needed the skills for reading exam questions, textbooks, and resource books, following spoken instructions from lecturers and for understanding discussions on medical issues, succeeding in presentations in conferences or seminars and making reports, and using the medical sites on the internet. Most of the sub-constructs were in line with what the instructors believed other than the reading skill. The instructors reported that the students need to improve their English reading skill. Some practical recommendations were also listed for the EMU curriculum designers and materials and course developers to be considered while reviewing or evaluating the English courses.
A Study of Turkish Teacher Candidates’ Language Anxiety
The main aim of the current study is to explore the foreign language anxiety and teaching foreign language anxiety of the prospective teachers at Atatürk Teacher Training Academy in Nicosia. The sample of the present study was constituted from 45 prospective teachers. Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety (TFLAS) and semi-structured interview as a mixed research method to transcribe findings. Frequency, Cronbach Alpha, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis-H test, Tamhane and Spearman Correlation Analysis had been executed to draw findings. Findings reported that no statistical significance was existed in gender and formal years to study English Language in contexts of foreign language learning anxiety and teacher foreign language learning anxiety. However, form and department studied was found statistically significant with teacher foreign language anxiety. In addition to these, Spearman Correlation test results revealed that a significant, positive and moderate relationship was existed among teaching foreign language anxiety and learning foreign language anxiety. Besides of these, mixed minds while studying English exam, feeling to left behind as English classes moving quickly, experiencing difficulties to understand the words which mentioned by native speakers, lack of confidence while speaking were found the factors which are triggering the foreign language and teaching foreign language anxiety respectively. Qualitative findings exerted that giving oral presentation in front of crowded classes, incorrect pronunciation, failing to provide answers to students were the major ingredients of anxiety at learning and teaching contexts.
Investigating Oral Communication Strategies Used by Registrar’s Office Employees in an International University Context: A Case Study
The global spread of English has led to both the use of English as a lingua franca and as well as the emergence of new diversities of spoken English acknowledged as „World Englishes‟. This enlarging use of English in all domains of life including the higher education contexts necessitates mutual intelligibility among second language (L2) users for effective communication. In the pursuance of this aim, L2 users need to employ some oral communication strategies (OCSs). Given the fact that Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) is an English-medium university which accommodates international students from 106 different countries, English is used as a lingua franca within the campus including the Registrar‟s Office (RO). However, there is no study conducted to investigate the strategies used by the employees to communicate with the non-Turkish speaking international students successfully. This study, then, aims to explore the oral communication strategies used by the RO employees to overcome oral communication breakdowns with the international non-Turkish speaking students at EMU. To achieve this goal, a mixed methods approach was followed to elicit data from 40 RO employee participants through Oral Communication Strategy Inventory (OCSI). In addition, 12 participants were interviewed to triangulate the findings obtained via the survey. After analyzing the collected data, the major findings of this study showed that RO employees mostly negotiated for meaning while speaking and listening. Findings of the study are justifiable as the RO employees have no other choice but maintaining successful communication with international non-Turkish speaking students in order to fulfill their needs. This study aims to fill the gap in the literature about oral communication breakdown in the English language taking place between the RO employees and the students in an international university context. The findings of this study can inform both the university administrators and syllabus designers to work in collaboration for designing an ESP course for the employees to improve their oral communication skills and strategies in English. Keywords: Oral communication strategies (OCSs), English as a lingua franca (EFL), oral communication breakdowns (OCBs), Registrar‟s Office (RO), English at workplace
A Case Study on the Acquisition of English Hyperbolic Expressions by EFL Undergraduate Students with Different Native Language Backgrounds
ABSTRACT: It has been proven that certain language exponents in a foreign language are more difficult than others. This is especially obvious when we deal with such language exponents as idiomatic expressions or formulaic language in which the meaning of the whole expression is not the entire meaning of each part making them. It would be interesting in this regard to define the role of the learners’ native language transfer in acquiring idiomatic or formulaic expressions. It would also be interesting to find out whether there exists any relationship between the learners’ levels of proficiency. Thus, the study purports to focus on both native language transfer and the relationship between the learners’ proficiency level and their acquisition of the target language's figures of speech. To achieve the purpose of the study, the research methodology chosen is based on quantitative and qualitative methods. The research design consists of a multiple choice test and a translation task based on McCarthy and Carter’s (2004) categorization of hyperbole and other expression taken from various sources. The study involvedparticipants of two different native languages. The data were collected from the departments of English in both the University of Mosul and the University of Duhok where the Arabic and Kurdish languages are spoken respectively by the EFL learners. It has been found out that learners understand metaphorical expressions which have identical or very similar Arabic and Kurdish correspondents more frequently. It has also been found out that the language transfer occurs when respondents are unsure of the metaphorical meaning. Thus, when respondents do not understand an expression, this occurs due to native language intervene along with other factors such as semantic transparency and linguistic structure of the items given, linguistic and pragmatic proficiency, and the context. Data analysis has also verified the hypothesis that the acquisition of idiomatic expressions is directly dependent on the learners’ level of foreign language proficiency. Keywords: hyperbole expressions, formulaic language, foreign language, Arabic and Kurdish, language transfer . …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Integrative and Instrumental Motivation of Libyan ELT Undergraduate Students Towards Learning English
The current study aimed to explore the motivation level and motivation type (whether they are integratively or instrumentally motivated) of ELT undergraduate Libyan students towards learning English. It also attempts to explore the major factors which influence the motivation of ELT undergraduate students in learning English. The study was conducted at the University of Sebha, specifically in the Department of English Language Teaching (ELT), which is located in the south of Libya. This case study used a quantitative method. 118 ELT undergraduate students participated in this research. The data collection instrument was a student's questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS 20 software programme. The results showed that the motivation of students for learning English is high. In addition, they are more instrumentally than integratively motivated to learn English language. Furthermore, it was revealed by the results that the factors which contribute to learner's motivation are mixed between integrative and instrumental motives. Lastly, the implications, limitations of the study, as well as further research studies suggestions were also provided at the end of this study. Keywords: Motivation, Integrative, Instrumental, ELT students
Facilitating Professional Growth and Autonomy Development of In-Service English Teachers through a Blog: A Case Study in Iran
In order to help teachers maintain their professionalism and empower them to keep up with the indispensable changes inherent to their career, it is crucial to facilitate teachers’ professional development. Professional development initiatives are believed to be more efficient if they are specifically designed and implemented to accommodate needs, lacks, and challenges of the teachers in a certain context. Established on these considerations and through incorporating the theoretical bases of constructivism and cognitive apprenticeship, this research aims to investigate the perceptions of the participating teachers about a professional development initiative which was mediated through a blog addressing the concepts of learner autonomy and learner-centeredness and further explore the participating teachers’ perceptions towards their professional growth and autonomy. To this end, data was collected through three questionnaires, two interviews, and blog entries from four Iranian teachers of English, who were interested in developing their knowledge and practice of teaching along with the principles of learner autonomy and learner-centeredness. The design of the study was qualitative-dominant and based on the principles of multiple-case studies. Following the principles of deductive thematic analysis, this research adopted Evan’s (2014) professional development model which identifies eleven dimensions of change categorized under three primary developmental components as behavioral, attitudinal, and intellectual. The model suggests that change often occurs across more than one component. However, for professional development to occur, it does not require change to take place in every single dimension. According to Evans (2014), professional development is multi-dimensional which comes about through a chain of reactions at micro-level; that is, one change would lead to another, which subsequently makes a cycle of chain-reaction episodes. Analysis of the data revealed that the offered professional development initiative worked efficiently to foster professional growth of the participating teachers with regard to the concepts of learner autonomy and learner-centeredness. Moreover, the participating teachers believed that their perceived professional growth positively contributed to their autonomy development.
Kurdish Novice English Language Teachers’ Perceptions on their Teaching Practices and Needs: A Case Study
The present study aimed to investigate into Kurdish novice English language teachers’ perceptions on their teaching practices and needs. The study also aimed to identify their perceptions on the teacher education programs they had gone through and to what extent they had prepared them for the process of teaching. For this purpose, the teachers’ perceptions regarding their difficulties, challenges and needs in their first year(s) of teaching were identified. This study is a mixed method case study, which applies a descriptive -interpretive method. Sixty – three Kurdish novice English teachers who are teaching in basic and preparatory schools of General Educational Directorate of Erbil participated in this study. Thirty – three teachers were from the basic level while thirty teachers were teaching in preparatory level. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from two different sources: teacher questionnaire and teacher interviews. The results of the study indicate that in general, Kurdish novice English language teachers found some aspects in their first year(s) of teaching difficult, some neither difficult nor easy and some others easy. The results also show that teaching about target culture, hiring practices and dealing with special needs of students were their main problems. The results at the same time show that the teachers were in need of support from their administrators, interaction with experienced English teachers and a continuous training program. As regards the teacher education program, the results show that teacher education program they completed did not fully satisfy them and they believed that their needs were not met. Based on the results, some implications for improving the teacher education in Kurdistan regional government of Iraq and suggestions for further studies have been recommended. The implications can help teacher education programs to be more effective and help novice teachers more to face less problems and provide them with their needs.
Parental Beliefs Regarding Children’s Native and English Language Acquisition: The Case of Northern Nigeria as a Multilingual Context
The research attempted to investigate the parental beliefs regarding their children’s native and English language acquisition in the context of multilingual Northern Nigeria. The study was conducted in Northern Nigeria involving 104 participants from Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The study used the mixed methods research where both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through the use of Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) questionnaire and semi-structured interview. Out of the total sample, 18 participants were randomly selected for the interview. Findings of this present study reveal that parental beliefs on their education and attitudes enhance their children’s English language acquisition. This research acquaints parents with information to adjust to their children’s native and English language acquisition and, would provide government with relevant knowledge to be used in adopting and implementing useful educational policies on children’s native and English language acquisition in the context of multilingual Northern Nigeria. Considering the coverage of this study conducted within just an institution, similar studies could be replicated in other parts of Northern Nigeria with more number of institutions at having greater number of participants. Keywords: English and indigenous language acquisition, Attitudes, Multilingualism, Bilingualism.
An Investigation into materials used in English courses from various perspectives: A case study
ABSTRACT: The aim of the study is to find out whether the English courses offered to Tourism and Hospitality Management students meet their needs both in terms of the materials offered and the ways that these materials are presented. The rationale behind the choice of this topic is based on our observations that the English courses they take fail in some points. The choice was also motivated by the fact that in most faculties, including the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, the language of instruction is English, and the aim of these courses is to enhance the students’ level of English language proficiency to learn their subject courses. The setting of the study is Tourism and Hospitality Management Faculty at the Eastern Mediterranean University. The participants were 106 students majoring in Tourism and Hospitality Management in academic year 2013 and four English language teachers who were teaching English for specific purposes courses at the faculty. In order to increase the reliability, the researcher triangulated the data sources. In other words, the researcher used (a) a questionnaire for students, (b) semi-structured interviews with English teachers and (c) classroom observations. Also, the researcher analyzed the materials they used in order to find out the perceptions of both the students in terms of their perceived needs and the teachers’ perceptions of students’ needs. The data were processed by using SPSS to get descriptive statistics. In other words, the methods employed by the study was qualitative. The result of the present study is that learners’ needs are, generally, met by the materials used in the Tourism and Hospitality Management Faculty in terms of language skills, language content areas, and learning style, but with a slight difference in some exercises. Limitations, pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research are provided. Keywords: ESP, EAP, EOP, EGP, learning styles (LS), need analysis. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
An investigation into the use of L1 in EFL classes in the Kurdistan region of Iraq
The present study aimed to identify the attitudes of students and teachers toward the use of L1 (Kurdish) in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes in basic and high schools in the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It also investigated if attitudes of the learners change across different levels of study and gender. Besides, it tried to find out the students’ and the teachers’ perceived needs for L1 use in their classes. Finally, it looked into the students’ and the teachers’ actual uses of L1 to see when, where, and for what purposes they use it and to identify whether level of study and gender affect the students’ use of Kurdish. This research study was designed as a case study in which qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were employed. The participants included 98 students and 4 teachers from 7th grade and 11th grade classes. The data was collected through a student questionnaire, a teacher questionnaire, teacher interviews, and classroom observations. The results of the study showed that the teachers and students were positive toward the use of Kurdish in English classes. However, the students were more positive than the teachers. While students believed that Kurdish can often be used in English classes, the teachers preferred moderate and sometimes use of it. The results also showed that the attitudes of 11th grade students were more positive than those of 7th grade students and that the difference between them was statistically significant. Similarly, the female students showed more positive attitudes than the male students did toward the use of Kurdish; yet, the difference was not statistically significant. It was found that the teachers use Kurdish usually because the students’ proficiency level was not adequate to understand English-only classes. Moreover, they thought it helps students understand and learn better, it helps teaching new vocabulary and difficult topics, and it saves time. Students reported that they use Kurdish because they think they are not proficient in English enough to speak it and it helps them understand and learn English. The results of the classroom observations showed that teachers and students used Kurdish extensively in different situations and for a variety of purposes while very little English was used by them. Finally, the findings showed that 11th grade students used much more L1 than 7th grade students did and that male students used more Kurdish than female students did. However, the difference between males’ and females’ use of Kurdish was not very considerable. In the light of the findings of the study, some pedagogical implications for a judicious and moderate use of L1 and implications for further research were proposed. Keywords: student attitudes, teacher attitudes, L1 (Kurdish), L2 (English), use of L1, gender, level of study
An Investigation of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) of Pre-service English Teachers: A Case Study
This research attempts to investigate the perceptions of pre-service EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers studying in the English Language department in the University of Duhok, regarding their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). It also aims to explore their perceptions about how well the program they attend to contributes to their TPACK, as well as the suggestions of the pre-service EFL teachers and the instructors of the department for further development of pre-service teachers’ TPACK. The study has followed a mixed-methods approach utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data. For the quantitative data, Başer et al.’s (2016) TPACK-EFL survey has been used to gather data from 72 pre-service teachers (46 male and 26 female). To achieve the aims of the study and answer its questions, qualitative data were gathered through interviews conducted with ten pre-service teachers and five instructors. The results of the study have demonstrated the participating pre-service teachers’ agreement on possessing quite a bit of all seven TPACK components. When each component of TPACK is considered, the most important components were found to be Content Knowledge (CK) and the least important one was Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). When looked at from the ‘gender’ perspective, the study findings reveal that female participants claim the possession of Content Knowledge (CK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) more than their male counterparts. Male participants, on the other hand, were found to have the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) more than female participants, based on their responses to the survey. The findings showed no significant differences between respondents according to their age toward dealing with the TK, CK, PK, PCK, TCK, TPK, and TPACK. Regarding how well the program at the University of Duhok helped the pre-service teachers develop their TPACK, the results indicated that the contribution of the department is usually limited with some tools such as PowerPoint used in class presentations. The participants highlighted the need for more focused training not only for the pre-service teachers but also for the instructors in order to enhance the abilities, skills, and technology awareness of the pre-service teachers. Keywords: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Pre-service Teachers of English, University of Duhok
Perceptions and Practices of Learner Autonomy in the Department of English at the University of Petra
This study was conducted in the English Department at Petra University, in Amman, Jordan seeks to look into students‟ and teachers‟ perceptions on learner autonomy. The study aimed to find out to what extent learner autonomy is fostered or practiced in that specific context. This study more specifically attempted to find out the perceptions and practices of the instructors and the students regarding learner autonomy. This is a case study which follows a descriptive method, it adopts a mixed- method approach to research where quantitative and qualitative data are gathered via student and instructor questionnaires and instructor interviews. The number of participants in this study is 76 undergraduate learners and 8 educators in the English Department in Petra University in Amman. The outcomes of the research study reveal that the students and the instructors shared positive beliefs bout learner autonomy. Also, both groups of participants encouraged the involvement of learners in decision taking about their learning. In general, the instructors thought that the students have the required skills to develop autonomy and turn out to be autonomous. However, they claimed that it is not feasible to make students take part in decisions regarding all aspects of their learning for example, the time and place of the lesson, the materials used and the course content. Additionally, both the students‟ and the instructors‟ perceptions about learner autonomy were found to be positive, but in terms of the feasibility of learner autonomy in their Department the students expressed different opinions from their instructors: while they found it feasible to promote autonomy in their Department, their instructors felt it was not feasible. Finally, the instructors indicated that they always attempt to encourage and promote autonomy in their courses. They stated various ways of doing so, such as making their learners explore, discover, learn and search for themselves and engaging them in group discussions, debates on the topics they choose or find interesting. Keywords: Learner Autonomy, Autonomous Learners, Desirability, Feasibility, traits.