ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Pragmatic Content in EFL Textbooks: An Investigation into Vietnamese National Teaching Materials
Author: Ton Nu, Anh T.
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pragmatics,Teaching Methods,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Teaching Guides,Learning Processes,Communicative Competence (Languages),Textbook Preparation,Instructional Materials,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Students,Content Analysis

Recent research studies in ESL/EFL contexts worldwide have shown a gap between the findings of pragmatics research and how the English language is actually taught and learnt in EFL classrooms, as well as a paucity of pragmatic information provided in ESL/EFL textbooks. Utilizing content analysis, this study explores the provision of pragmatic content in the current national EFL textbook series, which was first published in 2012 and has been used nationwide for Vietnamese upper-secondary school students since the school year 2018-2019. These materials include the aim of facilitating the development of students' communicative competence in English in their overall objectives, which, as we will argue in this paper, implies that pragmatic competence is also a goal. However, results from this study show that this series includes quite a low level of explicit information about pragmatics, which is present in only 5.5% of pages in the student books and does not appear at all in the teacher manuals. In addition, the explicit presentation of different elements potentially contributing to the learning of pragmatics was found to be quite infrequent. These findings suggest that there is a need for supplementing these EFL textbooks with additional materials and activities, for considering pragmatics as part of the textbook design process, and for enhancing teachers' ability to incorporate pragmatics in their classroom practices.
Interview with Jean Kirshner, Co-Founder of &quot;Belize Education Project&quot;
Author: Nimehchisalem, Vahid
Date: 2020-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interviews,Disadvantaged,Literacy Education,Grade 1,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Disadvantaged Youth,Foreign Countries,Program Descriptions,Cultural Awareness,International Cooperation,Teacher Education,Faculty Development,Educational Cooperation,Teaching Methods

Jean Kirshner holds a Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Development from Colorado State University and specializes in literacy and teacher education. Jean started her career as the Early Childhood Director at Saint Ignatius Grammar School, Chicago in 1988. After two years she joined the Child Opportunity Program in Denver as a Head Start Supervising Teacher. In 1994, she became a kindergarten teacher and has been a First Grade Teacher since 2006 in Douglas County School District, Parker, Colorado. She co-founded the Belize Education Program in 2007 which is the main topic of this interview. The world needs more inspiring educators like Jean who contribute selflessly especially to the underprivileged communities that need more love and attention.
Efficacy of Written Corrective Feedback in Writing Instruction: A Meta-Analysis
Author: Lim, See Chen
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Meta Analysis,Error Correction,Feedback (Response),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Grammar,Accuracy,Effect Size,Writing Improvement,Writing Instruction,Teaching Methods,Research Reports

This article takes a meta-analytic approach to investigate the efficacy of written corrective feedback in second language (L2) writing instruction. With its widespread practice in second language acquisition (SLA), written corrective feedback has increasingly garnered attention as much as it has continued to be a subject of considerable controversy. Aggregating findings from 35 primary studies, the study synthesizes and reviews current empirical research in the field. It seeks to complement previous meta-analyses by incorporating more recent studies and varying the inclusion criteria. Through the examination of ten moderator variables, it also aims to shed light on some factors that might mitigate the efficacy of written corrective feedback. Findings reveal a moderate overall effect, indicating that written corrective feedback has the potential to improve L2 written grammatical accuracy. In addition, direct feedback demonstrated a larger effect size than indirect feedback, though differences were not statistically significant. The study also identified learners' proficiency to be the strongest mitigator. Implications regarding how some of the key findings can be utilized to maximize the impact of written corrective feedback in L2 writing instruction are discussed.
&quot;Let&apos;s Go on a Gym Raid Tonight!&quot;: Video Game Affinity Spaces in English Language Instruction
Author: Halaczkiewicz, Marta
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Informal Education,Teaching Methods,College Students,Video Games,Writing (Composition),Peer Relationship,Computer Mediated Communication,Student Attitudes,Computer Assisted Instruction,Diaries,Instructional Design,Integrated Learning Systems,Writing Instruction

The present article describes a study that analyzed practical applications of informal online spaces in formal instruction. It was conducted in an intermediate ESL course at an American University. The concept of affinity spaces was used to guide the research. Students in the course were instructed to play the video game, Pokémon Go as an inspiration for their writing. This qualitative study examined the types of affinity space participation, the participant attitudes toward those spaces and to using video games in formal instruction. The data sources consisted of weekly gaming journals and interview transcripts. The findings showed that the participants used the affinity space to socialize with classmates and other players and to enhance their gameplay. They perceived affinity spaces and the use of the video game positively. The implications of this study include practical applications of video game affinity spaces for English language instruction and suggest further research areas. This study is worthwhile as it offers a rare look at an application of informal online practices to enhance formal language instruction.
Quiz Study as a Professional Development Activity for Tertiary-Level EFL Test Writers
Author: Cinkara, Emrah
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Construction,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Tests,State Universities,Faculty Development,Feedback (Response),Testing,Audio Equipment,Content Analysis,Test Content,Comparative Analysis,Lesson Plans,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Knowledge Level,Foreign Countries

Focusing on the reflective exchanges of four test writers at an intensive language school within a public university, this study explored the effectiveness of a &quot;lesson study&quot; model on their professional development as test writers. Lesson study is a powerful tool for teachers' professional development and a modified version of it--a quiz study--was used in the process of developing, administering, reviewing the results and evaluating feedback of the test. Participants were audio recorded throughout the four stages of the quiz study cycle as they discussed a variety of topics. Moreover, content analysis of this data revealed that the test writers had negotiated two themes: assessment literacy and content-specific knowledge and skills. The significance of this study lies in understanding the nature of the quiz study process as well as test writers' professional development areas, which may provide valuable insight for all test writers, teachers, and teacher educators.
The Future Is Now: Implementing Mixed-Reality Learning Environments as a Tool for Language Teacher Preparation
Author: Kamhi-Stein, Lia D.
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Preservice Teachers,Language Teachers,Masters Programs,Teacher Education Programs,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,Teaching Experience,Self Esteem,Computer Software,Computer Simulation,Distance Education,COVID-19,Pandemics,Student Characteristics

This article reports on two case studies designed to investigate the use of Mursion, a mixed-reality simulation platform, in two language teacher preparation programs. The first case study involved eliciting the attitudes of MA in TESOL [Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages] pre-service teachers (PSTs) toward the mixed-reality simulation environment, and the second explored how themes uncovered in the first study transpired as novice PSTs working towards foreign language teaching credentials taught in the simulation for the first time. The results of the two case studies showed that while PSTs with teaching experience argued that the simulations did not reflect the realities of real classrooms, PSTs with limited teaching experience found the simulations to be extremely valuable since they helped them develop much needed confidence.
TV Discourse, Grammaticality, and Language Awareness
Author: Werner, Valentin
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Discourse Analysis,Television,Programming (Broadcast),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Grammar,Nonstandard Dialects,Computational Linguistics,Language Usage,Language Styles,Metalinguistics,Teaching Methods

English-language, and especially US-American TV series have been identified as a major point of contact with the target language for learners of English as a Foreign Language, and the discourse represented there constitutes authentic material that is easily accessible. While the potential of using TV discourse in language education has been widely recognized for aspects such as listening comprehension and vocabulary development, the area of grammar has remained less well investigated. This may be due to the fact that TV discourse, which regularly aims to approximate spoken usage, stereotypically has been associated with &quot;ungrammatical&quot; content in terms of highly informal and non-standard usage. The present study explores sections of the &quot;TV Corpus&quot; to assess the actual presence of such usage (e.g. hedges like &quot;sort of,&quot; &quot;ain't&quot; as a negator, double comparatives, etc.). From a language-educational perspective, it is suggested that TV discourse is well suited to illustrate different kinds of grammaticality and appropriateness in specific registers in a contextualized manner, with a particular view on informal spoken usage, a topic commonly considered underrepresented in language-pedagogical practice. It is further argued that grammaticality and appropriateness may differ across varieties of English as represented in TV discourse and that engaging with these issues will help to raise students' language awareness.
Evaluating an Online Professional Learning Community as a Context for Professional Development in Classroom-Based Research
Author: Göktürk Saglam, Asli Lidice
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Communities of Practice,Faculty Development,Positive Attitudes,Online Courses,Action Research,Teacher Researchers,Correlation,Teacher Attitudes,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Language Teachers,Instructional Design,Mentors,Program Design,Computer Mediated Communication,Computer Assisted Instruction,Foreign Countries

This study examines how an online training into teacher research has been evaluated in relation to the three main elements of the community of inquiry framework (CoI): teaching, social, and cognitive presences. We held the online training as a part of TESOL's Electronic Village Online (EVO) and offered a course on how teacher research can be conducted. A survey was administered to elicit the perceptions of 27 volunteering teacher researchers regarding how social, cognitive and teaching presences within the framework of CoI support professional development of teachers, and to examine how CoI presences correlate with overall satisfaction in this research-based professional development online course. In addition to quantitative measures including means, modes and standard deviations, we analysed the data through the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient on SPSS to explore the correlation between the degree to which each of the three presences supported these teachers in their professional development. Findings imply that participants held highly positive perceptions towards cognitive, social and teaching presences of CoI and that these different aspects of the framework correlate positively with the overall course satisfaction. Moreover, there are important implications for instructional design of online professional development programs using the CoI framework and maintaining effective online research mentoring practices.
Examining the Roles of Continuing Professional Development Needs and Views of Research in English Language Teachers&apos; Success
Author: Derakhshan, Ali
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Professional Continuing Education,Professional Development,Educational Needs,Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Success,Teacher Effectiveness,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Research Skills,Teacher Attitudes,Private Schools,Predictor Variables,Foreign Countries

The present study investigated the significance of teachers' Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs and views of research with regard to their success among a group of 177 Iranian EFL teachers. To fulfill this aim, the participants responded to three questionnaires; the Teacher Professional Development Needs Questionnaire, an English Language Teachers' Views of Research Questionnaire, and a Characteristics of Successful EFL Teachers Questionnaire. Pearson multiple correlation coefficients results revealed that teacher success was related significantly and positively to both teachers' views of research and CPD needs as well as all their sub-components. These findings were also confirmed by full Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results; both teachers' views of research and perceived CPD needs were positive significant predictors of Iranian teachers' high perceptions of professional success. Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that for EFL teachers to perform successfully, they need to hold positive attitudes toward research and also attend to their CPD needs. Teachers can hold more positive views toward research and become research literate through doing research in graduate and post-graduate programs, receiving research training within their workplace, attending online research courses, reading books on research, searching through research journals in their specific field, and participating in conferences, workshops, and forums on research-relevant areas. Furthermore, teacher educators, including those in the educational system of Iran, are encouraged to re-plan their professional development programs to meet the real needs of the teachers in their specific educational context instead of presenting teachers with theory-based universal programs if they are to prepare successful teachers who can deal effectively with the daily realities of the classroom.
English Vocabulary Learning with Simplified Pictures
Author: Bates, James
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Pictorial Stimuli,Visual Learning,Vocabulary Development,Cues,Recall (Psychology),Class Activities,Independent Study,Females,College Freshmen,Translation,Japanese,Foreign Countries,Learning Motivation,Student Attitudes

Learning the words of a language is crucial to successful language learning. The study reported in this article aimed to investigate the potential for simple images to be used in foreign language vocabulary learning. English words presented in either first language form or simple pictorial form were used as cues for recall in classroom and self-learning situations. The study was conducted in an existing course at a Japanese university with two classes of all female participants. Language performance was tested with pre-tests, post-tests and weekly tests. Attitudinal responses were received from a questionnaire and focus group discussions. The results of the study indicate that words presented pictorially had a higher rate of recall than words presented in Japanese, implying that simple pictorial forms were a positive influence upon learning. The concrete and the emotional quality of the target words were shown to be a major influence upon vocabulary recall. Attitudinal responses to learning with the pictures were generally positive, with the main criticism being that some images were difficult to understand. It is suggested that simple pictorial forms have potential as an alternative and/or supplemental method of learning and teaching English vocabulary.
Building Critical Academic Writing Skills: The Impact of Instructor Feedback on Turkish ELT Graduate Students
Author: Çelik, Servet
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Language,Writing Skills,Skill Development,Feedback (Response),Revision (Written Composition),Native Speakers,Turkish,English (Second Language),Doctoral Students,Student Attitudes,Doctoral Dissertations,Instructional Effectiveness,Process Approach (Writing),Self Efficacy,Time Management,Foreign Countries

Academic writing is a critical aspect of any doctoral program; yet the majority of graduate-level students do not possess adequate writing skills. This issue is especially problematic for non-native English-speaking (NNES) Ph.D. candidates who are required to present their dissertations in the English language. This study was designed as an action research project to investigate the effects of a process-based approach on the attitudes of Turkish Ph.D. students toward academic writing. The results demonstrate that the participants found the experience to have a positive impact on the development of their academic writing skills. Some specific suggestions are offered for supporting graduate students in terms of organizing, self-regulation, academic writing standards and evaluation of their own work.
Usefulness of Mobile Teaching and Learning as Perceived by Romanian and Lithuanian Science Teachers
Author: Gorghiu, Gabriel
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Teacher Attitudes,Science Teachers,Foreign Countries,Handheld Devices,Student Motivation,Learning Motivation

With the explosion of mobile technologies, mobile teaching and learning became an important educational challenge. Since both teachers and students are increasingly using mobile devices in their everyday life, the question is why so little progress has been made in this direction. Clearly, the initiative of introducing mobile technology in class should come from teachers. Existing research shows a large diversity of factors that are influencing their perception as regards the usefulness and opportunity of mobile teaching and learning. This research aims to understand the extent to which the expectancy of increased students' motivation and better understanding are influencing the perception of mobile teaching usefulness. A structural model has been developed and tested on two samples of science education teachers, one from Romania and the other from Lithuania. The results show that the expectancy of a better understanding of lessons by students has an important effect on the teachers' perception of mobile teaching and learning.
Flux Leadership: Leading for Justice and Peace in &amp; beyond COVID-19
Author: Ravitch, Sharon M.
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Peace,COVID-19,Pandemics,Transformational Leadership,Social Justice,Critical Theory,Leadership Styles,Cognitive Structures,Participative Decision Making,Inquiry,Trauma,Altruism,Self Concept,Self Management,Race

In this twin pandemic moment, educational leaders face increasing pressure to assume a transformative leadership stance committed to racial justice, wherein curriculum, pedagogy, policies, norms, and mindsets are critically appraised and transformed into a new normative state of anti-racism. Flux leadership is a framework for equitable, responsive, and agile leadership in this moment of ongoing, complex, multi-faceted change. Flux leadership creates the conditions for flux pedagogy through taking an inquiry and justice-focused leadership stance. The primary dimensions of flux leadership are: (1) Radical Growth Mindset; (2) Distributed Wisdom Approach; (3) Leading from an Inquiry Stance (4) Trauma-informed Leadership; (5) Radical Compassion and Radical Self-Care; (6) Responsive and Humanizing Leadership; (7) Leader Critical Pedagogy; (8) Racial Literacy; (9) Brave Space Leadership; and (10) Emotional Imagination and Inner-Resource Cultivation. Each dimension of flux leadership is discussed in the context of COVID-19 and movement for racial equality, justice, and peace. Attached to each concept framing are suggested practices for transforming schools, teams, and classrooms into brave space communities of practice--including online--during this time of radical flux, a time in which students need affirming and justice-generating learning spaces.
Reckoning: What Does It Mean to Look Forward and Back Together as Critical Educators
Author: Kannan, Chloe
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Change,Critical Theory,Critical Thinking,Teaching Experience,Theory Practice Relationship

This feature piece explores what can happen when educators allow for collective reflection to transpire. Written as a dialogue, this piece presents two doctoral candidates working through what it means to identify as critical educators in this moment. These two educators met during the height of the education reform movement as a part of Teach For America. This reflective piece weaves theory, practice, and experience to help make sense of their time in education and how to navigate complexity within the larger education narrative.