EFL Studies - Page 3

A Conceptual Framework for Inclusive Pedagogy in South African Multilingual Higher Education Classrooms

/
376 views

Quinta Kemende Wunseh
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. ORCID:  0000-0002-9223-0641. Email: quinta.kemendewunseh@wits.ac.za

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 1, April-May, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n1.03 
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

In addition to the linguistic diversity of South African nationals, the growing number of international students from other countries, especially from Africa, has made language-related issues in South African university classrooms more complex. The teaching-learning process is very challenging with linguistically heterogeneous learners with different symbols and meanings that influence the way they learn and could be a source of exclusion and a barrier to effective learning outcomes. Hence, this paper aims to shed light on strategies and practices contributing to engendering inclusive pedagogy in diverse classroom settings, especially in multilingual university classrooms. To address this, this literature review used secondary sources collected through an in-depth review of academic journals, books, and doctoral dissertations using Google Scholar. The textual analysis showed that enablers of inclusive pedagogy in South African multilingual higher education classrooms include translanguaging, continuous lecturer professional development on inclusivity, use of audio-visuals, continuous evaluation of lecturers and inclusive policies, providing learners with requisite skills, lecturers’ knowledge of learners’ diversity, and lecturer’s self-awareness and preparedness to deal with linguistically diverse learners. This resulted in a potential conceptual framework for inclusive pedagogy in multilingual South African higher education undergraduate university classrooms. The results have implications for language policy, practice, and research.

Keywords: conceptual framework, review of literature, inclusive pedagogy, multilingualism, higher education

You might be interested in

How Textual Production Processes Shape English Language Teaching Research Discourse

/
594 views

Theron Muller
Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Toyama. ORCID: 0000-0001-9690-3738. Email: theron@las.u-toyama.ac.jp

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 1, April-May, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n1.02 
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of researching textual production processes in writing for academic publication in language teaching research by outlining how two papers were shaped by the journal submission and review process. Using a critical discourse analysis lens and text history analysis, the authors’ difficulties in interpreting reviewer comments are illustrated along with how their manuscripts were transformed from initially pedagogy-focused texts to more research-focused at publication. The implications of this analysis for understanding authors’ publishing practices and the persistent, problematic teaching-research divide in the language teaching field are discussed. Further, the research methods used demonstrate the importance of examining the processes underlying textual production.

Keywords: Text histories, writing for publication, teaching-research divide, critical discourse analysis (CDA), text history analysis

Enhancing College Students’ Intercultural Competence through International Electronic-Service-Learning

/
503 views

I-Jane Janet Weng
Department of English, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, Taiwan. ORCID: 0000-0003-4718-2000. Email: 89012@gap.wzu.edu.tw

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 1, April-May, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n1.01 
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

International Electronic-Service-Learning (eSL) is regarded as a pedagogical innovation, yet very few research studies focus on it. During COVID-19, seventeen Taiwanese student volunteers joined an international e-service-learning program, taking turns teaching English online for one semester to one year to primary school students in a remote village in Cambodia. This study employed a qualitative case study research design. It analyzed how an eSL program impacted Taiwanese students regarding intercultural communicative competence development. Research data included in-depth interviews, student reflection journals, bi-weekly meeting minutes, voice recordings of final presentations, and teacher’s field journals. Byram’s intercultural communicative competence framework was adopted to code the data and establish learning outcomes. Results found that the college student-volunteers enhanced their intercultural competence; this ranged from understanding real-life situations in Cambodia to empathizing with others, making cultural comparisons, and developing better interaction and communication. Most importantly, it showed that it had the potential to transform the student volunteers into intercultural citizens who began to question the taken-for-granted convention in their own life experiences critically. They became more willing to take responsibility for their own lives and those of the global community.

Keywords: international e-service-learning, intercultural competence, intercultural citizenship, service-learning, international volunteers

You might be interested in

Social Media and COVID -19 Pandemic: Accelerating the Learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

//
615 views

Tawhida Akhter
Assistant Professor, Department of English Literature, College of Sciences and Literature in Sajir, Shaqra University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ORCID: 0000-0003-4149-4855. Email: tawhida@su.edu.sa

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.24
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

COVID-19 began in China (2019) and spread to other nations and become a world pandemic (2020). The news media and social media platforms have played an important role in information dissemination about the Coronavirus throughout the world. During COVID-19 Pandemic, social media has become a key tool for enhancing social networking and information sharing via the web. As more people turn to the internet for health information, social media platforms are helping to spread life-saving precautions that individuals, families, and communities may take to reduce their chance of contracting the virus. Language learners are linked to interactive social media platforms in Social Media Language Learning. The goal of this study was to look at the role of social media during COVID in foreign language acquisition. The participants in this study were Saudi Arabian college students. The study’s sample comprised 200 (n=200) college students, and the social media platforms investigated included Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat and other platforms. Questionnaires were used to collect the data. The results indicated that the students used various social media platforms in order to get the appropriate information about the virus which indirectly helped and motivated them to learn a new language. These learners lack the self-motivation needed to use social media to develop their English language abilities. The study discovered that adopting online social media during a pandemic for English language learning had a significant impact on interactions with peers and teachers.

Keywords: Social Media, COVID-19 Pandemic, popularity, information, Youtube, Twitter, Fecebook, Instragram. EFL Learning.

Preparing Students for Post Covid-19 Transnational Study with Unassisted Repeated Reading and Extensive Reading Materials

///
527 views

Ngô, T. T. Vân1 & John R. Baker2
1Binh Duong University, Thu Dau Mot City, Vietnam. Email: nttvan@bdu.edu.vn
2Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. ORCID: 0000-0003-3379-4751. Email: drjohnrbaker@tdtu.edu.vn

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.20
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

As Covid-19 restrictions promise to loosen and international borders begin to open, transnational students are again preparing for language education abroad. However, due to students’ low reading rates (RRs), target institutions’ courses’ large reading demands pose potential challenges to students’ success. To address this, this study explored the potential of employing an unassisted repeated reading procedure (rate build-up, RBU) to increase prospective transnational students’ RRs. The study investigated the RBU procedure’s potential with this population by comparing the procedure’s effects on traditional degree-seeking learners’ RRs in a Taiwanese university setting and those of potential transnationals targeted for studies in a similar setting. Assessing each group’s pre and post-reading gains using inferential statistics, significant reading gains and large Cohen d effect sizes were found for both groups, indicating the generalizability of this procedure. It was further found that students with higher starting RRs demonstrated greater gains. Limitations and suggestions for further research are also addressed.

Keywords: repeated reading, rate build-up reading, transnational students, EFL, replication, audio-assisted, unassisted

The English Language Limits Me! Connecting Third Space to Curriculum Transformation in a South African University, Expanding Epistemological Landscapes?

///
498 views

Mzukisi Howard Kepe
University of Fort Hare, South Africa. Email: mkepe@ufh.ac.za

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.19
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

Many studies were conducted on conventional colonial heritage; however, less attention examines the developing concept of curriculum decolonisation in South African universities. This paper advocates for a hybrid literacy between traditional conceptions of academic literacy and instruction for students’ sociohistorical lives, affluent and less affluent. I discuss and illustrate the hegemony of English in high-learning institutions and the post-apartheid mainstream education system. Alongside my previous work in the language field, I interrogate the impasse of language policy in high education and South African schools. This paper is an ethnographic study congruent with the interpretivism paradigm, employing the semi-structured interview for data collection. The third space supports it as a theoretical framework. It affords the provision and guidance for classroom instruction and autonomous learning modes balance, where developing new knowledge is heightened, allowing students’ voices. It is a response to the 2015-2016 student protests on South African university campuses, where several were perplexed on how to respond to the demands of the students to end violent protests against western disciplinary norms that devalue non-centre practices and themes. Biliteracy and translingualism are empathised as the concepts against ownership of language and culture, and its territorialisation, challenging the traditional contrast of ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ speakers and its connection to a particular nation-state.

Keywords: Biliteracy, Curriculum, Decolonisation, Essentialist view, Hybrid Literacies, Language Policy in Higher Education- South Africa, Third Space, Translingualism

You might be interested in

Assimilation of the Anglo-Saxon System of Education in the Conflicted Ambazonia: Delinking from Colonial Language Ideologies

//
540 views

John Wankah Foncha1 & Jane-Francis Afungmeyu Abongdia2
1,2 The Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Email: fonchaj@cput.ac.za/ Jane-francisa@cput.ac.za

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.18 
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

Education is a mind builder and should be taken as a matter of importance in any nation. Following this, the curriculum designer is responsible for building learners’ minds. Seen through this lens, this theoretical article intends to project the importance of community schools in conflict-stricken Ambazonia against the backdrop of the French curriculum. Education guidelines are addressed with reference to language planning, policy, and implementation. Additionally, the paper seeks to explain the current situation in Ambazonia and make arguments regarding the community schools’ guidelines that aspire for multilingualism, where indigenous languages are taken seriously in teaching and learning. Another point discussed is the transitional authority (Ambazonia Transitional Authority), which was put in place to deal with implementing education guidelines and administrative issues. The paper concludes with the argument that what we think must be transformed into what we do and be shown by what we have done.

Keywords: Colonial Language Ideologies, multilingual, Ambazonia Transitional Authority, education

You might be interested in

What is Performance Studies?

Richard Schechner Tisch School of the Arts, New York University  Download PDF Version Because performance studies is so broad-ranging and

An Investigation into Teacher Preparedness for Emergency Remote Teaching in the Context of Vietnam

///
579 views

Dao Nguyen Anh Duc
Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking, Vietnam. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6349-8190. Email id: ducdna@hub.edu.vn

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.17 
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

This study examined the preparation English teachers in Vietnam had for Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it investigated the levels of confidence teachers had about their pedagogical and technological knowledge. It also looked at their attitudinal readiness and the institutional support offered to them. Ninety-seven teachers of English in the southern areas of the country, which were severely hit by the fourth wave of the pandemic from May to September 2021, were invited to complete an online survey. The responses were analyzed descriptively, and item-level means were calculated to identify teachers’ greatest challenges and the instructional aspects they found most confident about during ERT. Cross tabulations were also employed to compare different groups of teachers’ readiness to teach online. The results showed that English teachers in the affected areas perceived themselves to be relatively prepared for the swift transition to online teaching and substantially positive about their pedagogical approach to lesson delivery in the virtual environment. Regarding technological know-how, they exploited various ready-made resources but were unknowledgeable about authoring software and uncertain of how to use technological tools effectively. They also reported receiving little support from their superiors and authorities.

Keywords: teacher preparedness, teacher readiness, ERT, pedagogical knowledge, technological knowledge

The Use of English Placement Test (EPT) in Assessing the EFL Students’ Language Proficiency Level at a Saudi University

/
434 views

Hebah Asaad Hamza Sheerah1 & Meenakshi Sharma Yadav2

1English Department, Applied College for Girls, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. ORCID: 0000-0002-7775-4615

2English Department, Applied College for Girls, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. ORCID: 0000-0001-7962-3267. Email: m-@kku.edu.sa

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 3, September-October 2022, Pages 1–8. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n3.24

First published: October 28, 2022, updated on December 29, 2022 | Area: ELT| License: CC BY-NC 4.0

(This article is published under Volume 14, Number 3, 2022)
Abstract Full-Text PDF Cite
The Use of English Placement Test (EPT) in Assessing the EFL Students’ Language Proficiency Level at a Saudi university

Abstract 

Purpose: In order to ascertain EFL students’ characteristics (English proficiency, fluency, critical thinking, and communication), educational context, level of competence, professional goals, and pursuits for future endeavors, English Placement Tests (EPTs) are conducted in several academic contexts (Lamb, 2017; Ta?pinar & Külekçi, 2018; Stehle & Peters-Burton, 2019; Alrabai, 2021; Yuan, 2022). An EPT is a standard test used to determine students’ levels and abilities in English. It assesses how different their skills are in English before registering for English language courses in schools, universities, and companies. This research lends credence to the EPT’s reliability and validity in determining students’ course enrollment in university education.

Design/methodology/approach: This study implemented a hybrid research design. At the start of the second semester in December 2021, 136 students took the placement test. A t-test was used to compare the students’ pre- and post-test results in order to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of the EPT. Five instructors also took part in a semi-structured interview to discuss their thoughts, beliefs, and experiences related to their teaching-learning enhancement of English programmes at the time the EPT was completed.

Findings: The EPT results show students’ proficiency levels in three main areas: grammar, reading, and listening. After knowing the results of the EPT and the student’s performance, the weak areas were worked on. After one semester’s intervention, the test scores finally resulted positively, showing the students’ improvement. Since the results were statistically positive and significant, the study strongly suggested that EPT must be conducted at the beginning of the semester at the university level. Furthermore, based on the qualitative analysis and the comments and suggestions of the instructors, the idea of having an EPT for English foreign language (EFL) first-year students who want to take English language courses at universities was also strongly favored. The study supports the EPT’s validity for EFL students at college enrollment requirements according to English skills competency levels for English language courses.

Keywords: EFL, EPT, language proficiency, placement, testing, course programs.

A Model Text Recommendation System for Engaging English Language Learners: Facilitating Selections on CEFR

/
405 views

Adelina Escobar-Acevedo1, Josefina Guerrero-García1, Rafael Guzmán-Cabrera2
1Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Facultad de Ciencias de la Computación, México. adelina.escobar@alumno.buap.mx
2Universidad de Guanajuato, Campus Irapuato-Salamanca, División de Ingenierías, Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 3, September-October 2022, Pages 1–8. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n3.17

First published: October 17, 2022 | Area: ELT | License: CC BY-NC 4.0

(This article is published under the General Area)
Abstract Full-Text PDF Cite
A Model Text Recommendation System for Engaging English Language Learners: Facilitating Selections on CEFR

Abstract

A pedagogically informed multimodal education system is defined by how well reading tasks are assigned to students in a contemporary classroom. A source that becomes a provider of readings is the web, where it is possible to find information on practically all areas of knowledge and in a wide variety of languages. However, selecting the appropriate material for the level and theme becomes a tedious job to which language teachers must devote a significant amount of their time. Selecting suitable readings to accompany the teaching-learning process is thus not a ‘trivial’ task. Basic-level texts for language competence are easy to recognize and obtain but as is seen in the case of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages recommendations (CEFR), selection of appropriate texts that impart language competencies, especially of vocabulary and grammar at higher levels of communicativeness, selection becomes increasingly complex for teachers. Furthermore, the suggested readings should be raked by complexity in accordance with student capabilities. We suggest, that automatic classifiers based on CEFR levels may help in this process of selections from the already available corpora of authentic texts on the web. The existing facility of access of readers to such material on the web may come to the aid of automated classifiers. Teachers use interest to motivate reading in classrooms, but automatic recommendation systems will allow specific or even individualized recommendations. The authors explore the impact of such multimodal methods on the acquisition of better linguistic and communicative skills.

Keywords: English Language Learners, CEFR Language level, Linguistic Features, Text Complexity.

Full-Text PDF

1 2 3 4 5