Scaffolding, organisational structure and interpersonal interaction in musical activities with older people

The research reported here focuses on the organizational structure and facilitator strategies observed in musical activities with older people. The observations formed one part of the Music for Life Project, funded by the ESRC New Dynamics of Ageing Programme (http://www.newdynamics.group.shef.ac.uk/), which investigated the social, emotional and cognitive benefits of participation in community music making, amongst older people. Three hundred and ninety eight people aged 50+ were recruited from three case study sites offering diverse musical activities. Observations of 33 groups were analysed. Approximately half of the observed time was spent with participants engaged in practical music-making, supported by facilitators who sang or played along, conducted or accompanied. Facilitators spent a relatively small amount of time providing non-verbal modelling and very little participant discussion or facilitator attributional feedback was observed. The findings suggested that facilitators could develop their practice by a) making more extensive use of non-verbal modelling; b) creating space for open questioning and discussion, where participants are encouraged to contribute to setting goals; c) making more extensive use of attributional feedback that empowers learners to control their own learning; and d) vary the organizational structure and style in order to meet a range of diverse needs within groups of older learners

The Attitudes of Saudi Intermediate Students towards English Speaking Tasks in Flipped Learning via an Online Learning Community

This paper investigates Saudi intermediate students’ attitudes towards using flipped learning via an online learning community to enhance their speaking skill at a Saudi female’s public-school number 186. The writer observed and analysed the effect of using flipped learning in an online community on the development and engagement of students in speaking tasks. The study uses a quantitative quasi-experimental method to describe and analyse the student’s attitudes and development of the speaking skill among Arabic-speaking students in the public-school number 186 in Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2019-2020. The researcher applied a questionnaire and an observation checklist as the main instrument to achieve the study goal. The findings of the study were not statistically significant regarding the effect of flipped learning via an Online Learning Community (OLC) on the development of students’ speaking skill. However, there was a slight difference in the mean scores in favor to the post-test of the experimental group. The students’ attitudes were positive towards the flipped learning via OLC for speaking tasks

On the Relationship between EFL Learners’ Grammar Learning Strategy Use and Their Grammar Performance: Learners’ Gender in Focus

This study sought to investigate the interplay between grammar strategies employed by intermediate EFL learner and their performance on a grammar test. To undertake the study, eighty homogenized intermediate students, comprising 37 males and 29 females, took part in the study. Having been homogenized via quick placement test (QPT), the participants were asked to respond to Oxford’s (1990) grammar learning strategies questionnaire (hereafter, GLSQ). Next, the participants were asked to take a grammar test. The findings revealed a significant relationship among six subscales of GLSs and EFL learners’ performance on the grammar test. In addition, the results indicated a significant difference between male and female students in term of their performance on the grammar test. More precisely, female students outperformed the male counterpart as far as their performance on grammar test was concerned. In addition, the results attested that cognitive strategy and compensation learning strategy were the most and the least strategy types employed by the participants. The findings have pedagogical implication for both English as a foreign or second language

The Future of Music Education in Kenya: Implementation of Curriculum and Instructional Teaching Strategies

This paper is an evaluation of the parameters of the concept of music curriculum that examines principles underlying the teaching and learning of music. The paper also discusses the practical nature of music education and the need for experiential learning. Music educators worldwide advocate for methods that allow for discovery learning and hence nurture creativity. Findings of other studies in this paper reveal a state of apathy toward music in Kenya and majority of teachers are handicapped in handling music in general. These studies also reveal a weakness in methodologies of teaching music and under-utilization of available resources in music teaching. In all cases, it is conceptualized that music is dismally performed due to the perennial challenges in the curriculum implementation. The study is a focus on Nairobi County, Kenya where secondary schools both private and public teaching and learning music were involved. A descriptive survey was conducted on both groups. Purposive sampling was used to select 23 schools that offer music and 23 music teachers that teach music in Nairobi County. Music students were selected using simple random sampling. A total number of 180 out of 360 form three music students and 23 teachers participated in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires, classroom observation schedule and focus group discussions. Content analysis was also done to establish some of the strategies as advocated by theorists in music education. Data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics and computation of the empirical data done using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Keywords: Music education, Curriculum, Implementation, Teaching/ Learning strategies, Instructional

Trialing project-based learning in a new EAP ESP course: A collaborative reflective practice of three college English teachers

Currently in many Chinese universities, the traditional College English course is facing the risk of being ‘marginalized’, replaced or even removed, and many hours previously allocated to the course are now being taken by EAP or ESP. At X University in northern China, a curriculum reform as such is taking place, as a result of which a new course has been created called ‘xue ke’ English. Despite the fact that ‘xue ke’ means subject literally, the course designer has made it clear that subject content is not the target, nor is the course the same as EAP or ESP. This curriculum initiative, while possibly having been justified with a rationale of some kind (e.g. to meet with changing social and/or academic needs of students and/or institutions), this is posing a great challenge for, as well as considerable pressure on, a number of College English teachers who have taught this single course for almost their entire teaching career. In such a context, three teachers formed a peer support group in Semester One this year, to work collaboratively co-tackling the challenge, and they chose Project-Based Learning (PBL) for the new course. This presentation will report on the implementation of this project, including the overall designing, operational procedure, and the teachers’ reflections. Based on discussion, pre-agreement was reached on the purpose and manner of collaboration as offering peer support for more effective teaching and learning and fulfilling and pleasant professional development. A WeChat group was set up as the chief platform for messaging, idea-sharing, and resource-exchanging. Physical meetings were supplementary, with sound agenda but flexible time, and venues. Mosoteach cloud class (lan mo yun ban ke) was established as a tool for virtual learning, employed both in and after class. Discussions were held at the beginning of the semester which determined only brief outlines for PBL implementation and allowed space for everyone to autonomously explore in their own way. Constant further discussions followed, which generated a great deal of opportunities for peer learning and lesson plan modifications. A reflective journal, in a greater or lesser detailed manner, was also kept by each teacher to record the journey of the collaboration. At the end of the semester, it was commonly recognized that, although challenges existed, the collaboration was overall a success and they were all willing to continue with it and endeavor to refine it to be a more professional and productive approach

An investigation into Teachers’ Cognition: Saudi English teachers’ Instructional Practices in the use of Code Switching.

Research on teacher cognition and language instruction has recently attracted attention among researchers in the field of language teaching. Educational research has also revealed that the study of teacher cognition about all aspects of their work can help in understanding what they hold in their minds and how it contributed to their classroom practices. This study examined the origin of twelve English teachers’ cognition and understand how their mental perspectives are displayed through their instructional performances in classrooms regarding the practice of code switching in language teaching, particularly in the context of Saudi Arabia, where Arabic is its main language. The necessity of carrying out such a study is to contribute to finding out some significant aspects of teachers prior learning experiences that appear to be powerful in forming their cognitions and understand how these mental constructs underpin their instructional performances regarding the practice of code switching. Moreover, the study seeks to determine the role of contextual factors that might impact teachers’ instructional practices so as to improve and facilitate the teaching process.Qualitative data was collected using autobiographies and semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study showed that teachers perceived code switching strategies to be necessary as they shared similar prior educational experiences. Their focal concern of cognition regarding the practice of code switching, though it seemed to be against the policy on language teaching and some of participants’ perspectives, was to facilitate the teaching process due to the domination of the Grammar Translation Method in language teaching. The findings also revealed that teachers’ ongoing actual practices are significant as they are influenced by contextual factors imposed by institutional policies which appeared to be obstacles to the fulfilment of their tasks

Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do

This paper reviews a selection of research from the field of foreign and second language teaching into what is referred to here as teacher cognition – what teachers think, know, and believe and the relationships of these mental constructs to what teachers do in the language teaching classroom. Within a framework suggested by more general mainstream educational research on teacher cognition, language teacher cognition is here discussed with reference to three main themes: (1) cognition and prior language learning experience, (2) cognition and teacher education, and (3) cognition and classroom practice. In addition, the findings of studies into two specific curricular areas in language teaching which have been examined by teacher cognition – grammar teaching and literacy – are discussed. This review indicates that, while the study of teacher cognition has established itself on the research agenda in the field of language teaching and provided valuable insight into the mental lives of language teachers, a clear sense of unity is lacking in the work and there are several major issues in language teaching which have yet to be explored from the perspective of teacher cognition

A survey of psychological, motivational, family and perceptions of physics education factors that explain 15 year-old students’ aspirations to study post-compulsory physics in English schools

This paper investigates the factors that influence 15-year-old students’ intentions to study physics post-16, when it is no longer compulsory. The analysis is based on the year 10 (age, 15 years) responses of 5,034 students from 137 England schools as learners of physics during the academic year 2008–2009. Factor analyses uncovered a range of physics-specific constructs, 7 of which were statistically significantly associated with intention to study physics post-16 in our final multi-level model; in descending order of effect size, these are extrinsic material gain motivation, intrinsic value of physics, home support for achievement in physics, emotional response to physics lessons, perceptions of physics lessons, physics self-concept and advice-pressure to study physics. A further analysis using individual items from the survey rather than constructs (aggregates of items) supported the finding that extrinsic motivation in physics was the most important factor associated with intended participation. In addition, this item-level analysis indicated that, within the advice-pressure to study physics construct, the encouragement individual students receive from their teachers is the key factor that encourages them to intend to continue with physics post-16

INVESTIGATING INTERCULTURALITY OF SAUDI STUDENTS IN THE US ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

This study applied Mixed Methods research (MM) to understand the possibility of developing the intercultural competence of Saudi students through language classes in Saudi Arabia, since there is an indication of a gap between language classes in Saudi Arabia and the globalized world. This study was conducted to investigate the intercultural competence development of Saudi students enrolled in American universities and compare it to the way they developed their interculturality during their language classes in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this dissertation sought to determine the necessary strategies to enrich intercultural competence through English language classes in Saudi Arabia. Using MM, this study consists of two parts; first, a data from 107 Saudi students were collected and analyzed, and then data were collected and analyzed from six interviewees to provide further explanation. Findings from this study indicated that the experience of studying in American universities helped in developing Saudi students intercultural competence, whereas language classes in Saudi Arabia did not contribute to the same thing. It informed that English language classes in Saudi Arabia were missing some elements despite their necessity to help students grow into interculturally competent and globally responsible citizens. The study proved that the challenges that faced Saudi students during their studies in the United States helped them to develop their intercultural skills. This study began to bridge a gap between language classrooms in Saudi Arabia and the new globalized world as it recommended that intercultural competence should be a fundamental part of the curriculum to promote English language classes in Saudi Arabia. The compiled research also suggested that the way American schools promoted students intercultural competence should be studied to achieve the same in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the study proposed devoting future research to focus on how to develop the interculturality of Saudi students in order to prepare them for the 21st-century. Results of the study contributed to a new line of work, such as examining the relationship between teachers level of interculturality and the ability to develop their students intercultural competence as language teachers who are considered to be the experts with whom students approach for knowledge