ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Teaching a Standard-Based Communicative English Textbook Series to Secondary School Students in Egypt: Investigating Teachers' Practices and Beliefs
Author: Abdel Latif, Muhammad M. Mahmoud
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Secondary School Students,Measures (Individuals),Foreign Countries,Language Skills,Educational Change,Semi Structured Interviews,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Mixed Methods Research,Textbooks,Communicative Competence (Languages),Observation,Grammar,Vocabulary Development,Interviews,Questionnaires,Standards,Teaching Methods,Teacher Attitudes

Since any standards-based reform is made to bring about an improvement in students' learning, it requires changes in teachers' practices as well. This study examined how a standards-based communicative curricular reform in general secondary school English in Egypt has changed teachers' classroom practices, and the factors influencing such practices. The study depended on data triangulation through administering a questionnaire to 263 teachers, and using classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with 33 teachers. The results indicate that the standards-based curricular reform has not brought about the desired changes in teachers' practices. Teachers were found to allocate much more instructional time and effort to grammar and vocabulary than to the other language skill components. This means that the standards-based communicative textbook series is taught non-communicatively. The interviews and questionnaire showed that five factors influenced teachers' practices: washback, culture of teaching, inadequate time, students' low English level, and lack of equipment and materials. Of all these factors, washback was the most influential. The study suggests that for this standards-based communicative curricular reform to serve as a catalyst for changes in instruction, there has to be another parallel reform in the students' examination system. Additionally, other teacher-related and contextual problems should be addressed. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables, and 1 footnote.)
Filtering Shakespeare Teaching through Curricular Commonplaces
Author: Rice, Mary
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: State Standards,Novices,English Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Literature,Drama,Teaching Experience,English Instruction,Language Arts,Political Influences,Personal Narratives,Teaching Methods,Reflective Teaching,Secondary School Teachers

Schwab (1978) argued that curriculum emerged in the commonplaces of teacher, learner, subject matter and milieu. It was in these four frames that I narratively explored my own development as an English teacher and curriculum planner around Shakespeare's work, particularly "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet." In this narrative, I relate four narrative fragments that focus on my learning about Shakespeare as a secondary student, a university student, a novice teacher, and a more experienced educator. My major learning about English/language arts content and standards is that I do not conceive of standards as top-down mandates only but rather as part of a larger social and political context. My narrative fragments reveal that standards about what to teach and how, come from a variety of sources besides official curriculum documents and that negotiating these various standards requires teachers to think and reflect in complex ways.
Diversity in Secondary English Classrooms: Conceptions and Enactments
Author: Angus, Ryan
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English Instruction,Secondary Education,Student Diversity,Teacher Education Programs,Case Studies,Educational Strategies,English Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Socioeconomic Status,Differences,Academic Ability,Teacher Behavior,Context Effect,Grade 10

Diversity is conceptualised in many different ways in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, language and class. Much has been written about these conceptions of diversity in educational settings and how teacher education programs should prepare pre-service teachers to address diversity in their future classrooms. In this article, however, we take a different approach to diversity in the classroom by examining how two secondary English teachers conceptualise diversity once they are out of their English education program. Drawing on a case study, we present perspectives on diversity from Helen and Scott--two secondary English language arts teachers in the Midwestern United States. Although Helen and Scott both address diversity, the way they conceptualise and enact diversity in their classrooms is somewhat different. Based on interview and observation data, we show what diversity means for these two practising teachers and the ways in which they actually conceive of diversity in their classrooms. We explore these conceptions of diversity in order to show how they affect the instructional decisions that Helen and Scott make, as well as how they formulate their roles as teachers in diverse classrooms. Finally, we discuss the implications of their work and the preparation of secondary English teachers. (Contains 1 footnote.)
Opportunities or Constraints? Where Is the Space for Culturally Responsive Poetry Teaching within High-Stakes Testing Regimes at 16+ in Aotearoa New Zealand and England?
Author: Dymoke, Sue
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,High Stakes Tests,Foreign Countries,Poetry,Teacher Attitudes,Culturally Relevant Education,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Secondary School Students,Test Preparation

This paper argues that recent changes to two national high-stakes tests for English--the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) in Aoteaora New Zealand and the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in England--have shifted the assessment emphasis further away from poetry than previously and have significantly constrained the defined space for the genre within examination specifications at 16+. In investigating the impact of these assessment changes, the paper considers opportunities that sample groups of teachers and their students in two culturally diverse cities have to engage with poetry in examination level classrooms and the constraints they experience. The research aims to inform international debates about poetry's position in culturally diverse classroom contexts and the implications of this positioning for teachers' professional knowledge and poetry pedagogy, as they prepare their students for high-stakes examinations. (Contains 1 table and 7 footnotes.)
One Size Fits All: The Increasing Standardisation of English Teachers' Work in England
Author: Goodwyn, Andrew
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teaching (Occupation),National Standards,Neoliberalism,Professional Autonomy,Politics of Education,English Instruction,Literature,English Teachers,Professional Associations,High Stakes Tests,Master Teachers,Government School Relationship,Teacher Effectiveness

English teachers in England have experienced a lengthy period of external constraint, increasingly controlling their practice. This constraint was originated in the 1989 National curriculum. Although in its first version it was in harmony with practice, its numerous revisions have moved it a long way from teachers' own values and beliefs. This move is illustrated through research into the teaching of literature, which is seen by English teachers as often arid and driven by examinations alone. This period has been increasingly dominated by high-stakes testing, school league tables and frequent school inspections. Another powerful element has been the introduction of Standards for teachers at every career level from student teachers to the Advanced Skills Teachers. Research demonstrates that this introduction of Standards has had some beneficial effects. However, research also shows that the government decision to replace all these, hierarchically structured standards, with a single standard is seen by many teachers as a retrograde step. Evidence from Advanced Skills Teachers of English shows that the government's additional proposal to bring in a Master Teacher standard is equally problematic. The decline of the National Association for the Teaching of English, the key subject association for English teachers, is discussed in relation to this increasingly negative and constraining environment, concluding that many English teachers are choosing a form of local resistance which, while understandable, weakens the credibility of the profession and erodes the influence of its key voice, NATE. (Contains 8 online resources and 10 footnotes.)
Back to the Future: A Return to Coursework Explored
Author: Marshall, Bethan
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Grade 8,English Teachers,Course Content,Summative Evaluation,Secondary School Curriculum,English Curriculum,Literary Genres,Educational Assessment,Academic Standards,Evaluation Criteria,Difficulty Level,Test Reliability,Intuition,Literary Styles,Value Judgment,Writing Evaluation

This paper examines the King's Oxfordshire Assessment Project, which took place in the UK and explored the use of coursework as a means of terminal assessment. In particular, it considers the findings of the six English teachers who were involved. In a standards-based curriculum all six teachers supported 100% coursework. The paper looks at how, in the ritual of atomised standards-based assessment, a basis for holistic coursework can be maintained. It considers the importance of guild knowledge within the system as well as the need for structural support. It considers also some of the difficulties that can be found with this type of assessment. (Contains 1 footnote.)
Full Circle: Stakeholders' Evaluation of a Collaborative Enquiry Action Research Literacy Project
Author: Forey, Gail
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Action Research,Educational Research,Educational Environment,College School Cooperation,Social Networks,Stakeholders,Writing Instruction,Literacy Education,Teacher Improvement,English Language Learners,Language Proficiency,Low Achievement,College Students,Learning Disabilities

This paper reports on school-university collaboration during an action research project, which aimed to build a writing pedagogy for students with Learning Disabilities in the trilingual, biliterate educational context of Hong Kong. The project was established through interpersonal relationships built from the ground up between stakeholders from a university department and a secondary school. The informal social networks were the locus of innovation and creativity within the project. This paper examines four broad dimensions of collaboration: the relationships created, the resources shared, the action taken and the pedagogy created. We discuss these dimensions of collaboration from the perspectives of the stakeholders. We found that each stakeholder aligned their motivations and expectations with other stakeholders to achieve the common goals of the research and consequently we call such alignments of interests &quot;research networks&quot;. Finally, we suggest that &quot;research networks&quot; constitute an important, yet overlooked component of action research.
Effects of Integrating Children's Literature and DVD Films into a College EFL Class
Author: Chen, Mei-Ling
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Freshmen,Majors (Students),Nursing,English Language Learners,English (Second Language),Reading Attitudes,Reader Text Relationship,Childrens Literature,Fantasy,Novels,Films,Video Technology,Reading Comprehension,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Textbooks,Pretests Posttests,Learner Engagement

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the use of children's literature and DVD films on EFL adult language learning. A total of 89 non-English majors enrolled in two Freshman English classes participated in the study. The study employed a quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest comparison group design. The participants in the experimental group were exposed to the children's literature and DVD films. In the control group, the participants were exposed to the English Language Teaching (ELT) textbook. The experiment was conducted for two hours per week over two months. Then the reading comprehension sections of the Elementary GEPT posttests were administered and their outcomes were compared with those of the pretests. At the end of the course, the questionnaires were administered to the participants in the experimental group to elicit their perceptions about the various aspects of the use the children's literature and DVD films. The findings of the study revealed that alternately, reading, viewing the film, and discussing a children's fantasy novel significantly increased the scores on the reading comprehension subtests over the control group with exposure to the ELT textbook. (Contains 2 tables.)
Like a Bell Responding to a Striker: Instruction Contingent on Assessment
Author: Huang, Shu-Chen
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Instructional Design,College Second Language Programs,Writing Instruction,Formative Evaluation,Freshman Composition,Performance Based Assessment,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Student Characteristics,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Evaluation Criteria,Feedback (Response),Peer Evaluation,Student Empowerment

This article is concerned pragmatically with how recent research findings in assessment for learning (AfL) can bring about higher quality learning in the day-to-day classroom. The first half of this paper reviews recent studies within Black and Wiliam's (2009) framework of formative assessment and looks for insights on how pedagogical procedures could be arranged to benefit from and resonate with research findings. In the second half, based on lessons drawn from the review, the findings were incorporated into an instructional design that is contingent on formative assessment. The concept of teacher contingency is elaborated and demonstrated to be central to the AfL pedagogy. Attempts were made to translate updated research findings into an English as a foreign language (EFL) writing instruction to illustrate how teachers may live up to promises offered by recent developments on AfL. This AfL lesson, situated in L2 writing revision, made instruction contingent on and more responsive to learner performance and learning needs. As shown in an end-of-semester survey, learner response to the usefulness of the instruction was generally quite positive. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)
Genre-Based Teaching and Assessment in Secondary English Classrooms
Author: Lee, Icy
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Secondary Education,Grade 7,Writing Instruction,Literary Genres,Instructional Innovation,Teaching Methods,Educational Research,Teacher Educators,Program Implementation,Feedback (Response),Faculty Development,Course Content,Curriculum,Interviews,Program Effectiveness

This study investigates how genre can be used as an organisational principle to interweave teaching and assessment in the L2 school context. Relying on data from interviews and lesson observations gathered from two Secondary 1 (that is, Grade 7) Hong Kong classrooms, the study sought to discover how teachers implemented genre-based teaching and assessment in traditional product- and exam-oriented writing classrooms, students' and teachers' evaluation of the approach, as well as the factors that might facilitate or restrain the genre innovation. The findings show that teachers worked collaboratively and shared a common vision in implementing genre-based teaching and assessment, making sure that they integrated teaching and assessment through a focus on genre. Although the limitations of the genre approach were noted, the innovation was generally well received by students and teachers, who felt that the innovation had enabled students to improve their writing and helped teachers enhance their practice. A few facilitative and inhibitory factors are discussed. The findings suggest that the implementation of genre-based teaching and assessment has to be considered within the ecology of teachers' work.
Implications for Language Diversity in Instruction in the Context of Target Language Classrooms: Development of a Preliminary Model of the Effectiveness of Teacher Code-Switching
Author: Lee, Jang Ho
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Bilingualism,Monolingualism,Code Switching (Language),Teaching Methods,Native Speakers,Sociolinguistics,Teacher Student Relationship,Second Language Learning,Communicative Competence (Languages),Teacher Behavior

This paper concerns the conceptual and pedagogical issues that revolve around target language (TL) only instruction and teacher code-switching in the context of TL classrooms. To this end, I first examine four intertwined ideas (that is, monolingualism, naturalism, native-speakerism, and absolutism) that run through the monolingual approach to TL teaching, with a discussion of why these assumptions cannot hold in light of what is actually going on in the world today--bilingualism. The paper then reviews contemporary classroom code-switching research within a sociolinguistic framework, arguing that teacher code-switching should be permitted as a legitimate pedagogical practice, as it is not only an example of natural bilingual behaviour, but it also has great potential in terms of contributing to the development of TL learners' bilingual competence. It is further argued that newly emerging studies on the effects of teacher code-switching on TL acquisition provide an important pedagogical rationale for its inclusion in TL teaching practices. Based on these discussions and research evidence, I propose a preliminary model of the effectiveness of teacher code-switching, which is designed to contribute to advances in both theory and teaching practices. (Contains 1 figure and 1 footnote.)
Discussing Culturally Relevant Books Online: A Cross-Cultural Blogging Project
Author: Lee, Hsiao-Chien
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Intercultural Communication,Computer Mediated Communication,Student Journals,Student Diversity,Web Sites,Electronic Publishing,Picture Books,Grade 5,Grade 10,Cultural Relevance,Reader Response,Student Projects,Thinking Skills,Student Attitudes,Learning Experience,Cultural Awareness,Data Analysis,Self Expression

This article examines the process and results of a two-year cross-cultural blogging project conducted between American fifth-graders (15 students) and Taiwanese tenth-graders (23 students). The two groups of students used a blog to correspond with each other and share their reading responses of culturally relevant picture books. The goal of the project was to provide the students with opportunities to appreciate reading texts relevant to their cultural experiences, while using the blog to engage in authentic conversations with and reflect on the experiences of people from another culture. Data were collected from multiple sources, including pre-project surveys, students' blog entries, students' retrospective interviews, and the researchers' field notes. Data analysis helped answer the research questions: What were the students' learning experiences, and what factors helped form the experiences? The findings suggest that students gained deeper understandings of another culture, as well as the texts, as they were offered opportunities to communicate authentically with people of another culture. They also displayed more confidence and greater critical thinking skills when discussing culturally relevant picture books. (Contains 2 tables, 4 figures, and 4 footnotes.)
English Language and Literature in the Post-War Bosnia and Herzegovina: Challenges and Experiences of a Transcultural Academic Adaptation
Author: Bal, Mustafa
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cultural Pluralism,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Second Language Learning,Literature,Departments,Social Change,Educational Change,Higher Education,Cultural Differences,Second Language Instruction,Student Diversity,Educational Background

This paper presents an account of the author's firsthand experiences between 2006 and 2010, relating to his involvement in the establishment of the English Language and Literature department at the International University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and of the difficulties and challenges of the venture in the post-war country, whose higher education system needed urgent reforms. The focus of the study is on the cultural diversity found in an English language (a unifying global language) education setting established in a country which, despite the present estrangement, once hosted a common culture for the Bosnian and Turkish students of the department. Clustered mainly around this issue, the paper further elaborates on the transcultural dynamics of English education aimed at a variety of students that came from different educational backgrounds. (Contains 8 footnotes.)
Teaching Intercultural English Learning/Teaching in World Englishes: Some Classroom Activities in South Korea
Author: Lee, Kang-Young
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Class Activities,Learning Activities,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Intercultural Communication,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Variation,Cultural Awareness,Language Proficiency,Language Teachers,Consciousness Raising

This paper discusses what intercultural English learning/teaching (IELT) is in English as a world Englishes (WEes) and how IELT can contribute to the development of proficiency/competence among WEes and can be fitted into actual WEes classrooms. This is to claim that IELT be a pivotal contextual factor facilitating success in proficiency/competence among all varieties of Englishes in today's globalised world and suggest that IELT be listed as a requirement for professional ELT qualifications in South Korea. To do this, the paper first talks about the present status of English as a world Englishes and its implication for the language/culture education. Then the study provides what IELT is and it consists of, and how IELT components can be realised in WEes classrooms. At the end, this paper presents some of the teaching activities conducted in the present author's classes throughout two semesters of 2011. This may help WEes teachers especially from the inner circle varieties in South Korea to be equipped with the awareness and understanding of the main issues in IELT for his/her classrooms since students' progress towards intercultural competence is under threat (Sercu, 2002) without teachers' adequate development in intercultural communication and their active involvement and commitment with/to learners.