Representation of the Characters in the Claimed English as an International Language-Targeted Coursebooks

The cultural and linguistic hegemony of the native speakers of English over the non-native speakers in the process of language learning and teaching has paved the way for the stereotypical and biased representations of the non-native speakers of English in majority of the English Language Teaching (ELT) coursebooks. Actually, this essentialist approach in the process of materials development is likely to result in reductionist overgeneralization and otherization of foreign societies (Holliday, 1994). However, in recent years, with the advent of English as a International Language (EIL), the issue of native speakerism, the ownership of English, and consequently the cultural content of ELT coursebooks have been the subject of debates. Despite the dominance of native speaker varieties of English in ELT coursebooks, there has been a growing awareness among publishers over the past years and accordingly some EIL-based coursebooks targeted specifically at EIL learners have been published. In this study, a sample group of such coursebooks was subject to close scrutiny. In so doing, an attempt was made to examine the representation of the characters in the claimed EIL-targeted coursebooks. According to the results of the study, despite the claim to be based on EIL, the biased representation of the non-native speakers of English is observed throughout the entire series of the analyzed coursebooks and they superficially surface a stereotypical association of culture and location/country

Mismatches between Teacher Intention and Learner Interpretation; Significance of Non-Native Speaker Teacher of English

There has always been a contradiction between the learner and teacher perceptions of classroom. The reason is that teachers and learners do not look at the same classroom event as a potential learning event. Some of the difficulties learners may encounter in understanding the aims and activities of the classroom are as a result of potential mismatches between their interpretation and their teacher’s intention. At the moment the teacher intention equally matches the learner interpretation of a given task, successful learning is likely to promote. Kumaravadivelu (2003) identifies ten potential sources of perceptual mismatches that ELT teachers should be aware of: cognitive, communicative, linguistic, pedagogic, strategic, cultural, evaluative, procedural, instructional, and attitudinal mismatches. It is thus important to discover potential sources contributing to the mismatches between teacher intention and learner interpretation. In the present study, an attempt was made to identify potential sources of mismatches between teacher intention and learner interpretation by observing and analyzing classroom events. During the observation period, the interaction between the teacher and the learners were closely considered. In general, the mismatches found between the non-native teacher intention and learner interpretation are in the following order, from top to down: communicative (37 %), strategic (26%), instructional (18.5 %), and linguistic (11.1 %), and procedural mismatch (7.4 %). However, during the observation, no cases of cognitive, pedagogic, cultural, evaluative, and attitudinal mismatches were encountered. Finally, the advantages of non-native speaker teacher of English to identify and minimize possible mismatches will be discussed. Keywords: Perceptual Mismatches, Native Speaker Teacher, Non-Native Speake

Self-Efficacy and the Use of Compensatory Strategies: A Study on EFL Learners

This study aimed to explore the relationship between Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ self-efficacy level and their use of compensatory strategies (CSs). The study further searched into the most and the least frequently used CSs by Turkish EFL learners. The participants of the study were fifty university students enrolled in the department of English Language Teaching at a private university in Istanbul, Turkey.  Results indicated that the level of self-efficacy among Turkish learners of EFL was high. The top two most frequently used CSs by the learners were concluded to be the use of non-verbal signals (i.e., mime, gesture, facial expression) and circumlocution (i.e., describing an object or idea with a definition). In addition, the two least frequently used strategies were word coinage (i.e., creating a non-existent second language word based on a supposed rule) and avoidance (i.e., avoiding a topic, concept, grammatical construction, or phonological element that poses difficulty). The findings also revealed that the participants’ strategy use was not related to their degree of self-confidence

The content analysis of the English as an international language-targeted coursebooks: English literature or literature in English?

The integration of literature and literary works has always played an undeniable role in language education. Despite the existence of a wealth of literature in non-native English-speaking countries, in the majority of the coursebooks, the entire attention is devoted to literary works of the native English-speaking countries. In this study, five coursebooks claiming to be based on English as an international language (EIL) were randomly selected and analysed to investigate to what extent they have incorporated the literatures of native and non-native English-speaking countries. The criteria for the content analysis of the claimed EIL-based coursebooks were based on Kachru's Tri-Partide Model to categorise the countries, and culture with a small c and Culture with a capital C dichotomy. Results indicated that although the chosen coursebook purports to be based on EIL, less or nearly no attention is given to the literary works of the non-native speakers of English

Using humor in language classrooms: Greasing the wheels or putting a spanner in the works? A study on humor styles of Turkish EFL instructors

Humor has often been seen as an important element in the learning process, facilitating both teaching and learning. Nevertheless, the utilization of humor in the educational setting has had its opponents. In recent years, many attempts have been made to conceptualize the various forms of humor implemented in the practice of education. Despite a myriad of studies aimed at linking humor with personality traits, there seem a dearth number of research studies addressing the multifaceted humor styles of EFL instructors while interacting with the students in the classroom. There have been a number of scales thought-up in order to best assess the humor styles of the individual. However, the one identified by Martin et al. (2003) attempts to deal with the functions of humor, rather than particular personalities it may or may not represent. The four specific humor styles identified in this scale encompass two benign (affiliative and self-enhancing), and two injurious (aggressive and self-defeating) humor styles. The present study seeks to examine the humor styles adopted by English language instructors in Turkey by investigating (1) whether there is a difference between male and female instructors with regard to employing humor, (2) whether the educational level of the participants influences their tendency to use humor while interacting with the students in the classroom, and (3) whether the age of the instructors is an influential factor in adopting various styles of humor. A total of 64 English language instructors working at private and state universities in Turkey completed a standardized form of the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) online. Results indicated no significant difference between male and female instructors with regard to adopting humor styles in the classroom. Nor were there any differences between instructors of varying educational level in terms of the use of humor styles. In addition, no differences were seen according to age

From English of Specific Cultures to English for Specific Cultures in Global Coursebooks in EIL Era

The global spread of English and the advent of a need for English as an International Language has become one of the hotly-debated issues in recent years. This owes much to the fact that English speakers today are more likely to be non-native speakers of English than native speakers, and most likely to use English in communication with other non-native speakers of English than native speakers. A significant number of scholars (e.g., Honna, 2003; Widdowson, 2003) even believe that English is no longer the sole property of its native speakers. Nevertheless, majority of English language teaching coursebooks are still being published by major Anglo-American publishers and are based on the linguistic norms and cultures of native English speaking countries, mainly the USA and the UK. Inevitably, criticism regarding an accurate presentation of cultural information and images about a variety of norms and cultures beyond the Anglo-Saxon and European world has risen. In fact, the English presented in these coursebooks has been seen as mainly representing the linguistic norms and culture of its native speakers, thereby offering ‘English of Specific Cultures’. The current discussions on the English language teaching and culture axis, however, make possible an understanding of an English language that has become first international and then global, thereby creating possibilities of portrayal of linguistic norms and cultures of Outer and Expanding circle countries especially through ELT coursebooks.  Commissioned as such, then, English can be regarded as a language through which access to Englishes and cultures of the world accompanies its pedagogy, hence ‘English for Specific Cultures’ (Yano, 2009). Discussing at length the role of English as an International Language and its cultural implications, this article investigates the varieties of Englishes in a series of EIL-based coursebooks, inquiring whether they are based on English of Specific Cultures or English for Specific Cultures. Key words: English as an International Language, English for Specific Cultures, English of Specific Culture

İngilizce öğretmenliği öğrencileri arasında soru tiplerinin incelenmesi

In this study, different types of questions (i.e., choice, product, process, metaproces) being asked by two groups of ELT freshmen while conducting literature circles, one of the most useful ways to activate cooperative learning among the students, were put under a close scrutiny. The first group comprised of thirty-seven students who had directly passed the proficiency exam of the university, while the latter consisted of the thirty-five students who studied at the preparatory school for a year. The different types of questions posed by the questioners in each circle were analyzed. According to the findings, there was no significant difference between the students who studied at the English preparatory school for a year, and the ones who directly passed the proficiency exam of the university. Nor did gender play a significant role in the participants’ preference for questioning types. In both groups, product questions were the most frequent type of questioning, while metaprocess questions remained the least used types in both literature circles.Bu çalışmanın amacı, iki grup İngilizce Öğretmenliği Bölümü 1.sınıf öğrencilerinin işbirlikçi öğrenmenin temelini oluşturan soru sorma tekniğini kullanırken seçtikleri ve sordukları soru tiplerini incelemektir. Çalışmaya katılan birinci gruptaki 37 öğrenci hazırlık muafiyet sınavında başarılı olmuştur. Çalışmaya katılan diğer grup ise bir yıllık hazırlık programına devam eden öğrencilerden oluşmaktadır. Çalışmada iki grupta yer alan öğrencilerin her aktivite için seçtikleri soru çeşitleri incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın sonuçları hazırlık muafiyet sınavını geçerek 1.sınıfta eğitime başlayan ve 1 yıllık hazırlık programını tamamlayarak 1.sınıfta eğitime başlayan iki grup arasında kullanılan soru çeşitleri bakımından fark olmadığını göstermiştir. Buna ek olarak, çalışmada cinsiyete dayalı bir fark da bulunmamıştır. Her iki grupta da en sık kullanılan soru çeşidi sonuç sorusu iken en az kullanılan soru çeşidinin gerekçe soruları olduğu sonucu elde edilmiştir

Using Humor in Language Classrooms: Greasing the Wheels or Putting a Spanner in the Works? A Study on Humor Styles of Turkish EFL Instructors

Humor has often been seen as an important element in the learning process, facilitating both teaching and learning. Nevertheless, the utilization of humor in the educational setting has had its opponents. In recent years, many attempts have been made to conceptualize the various forms of humor implemented in the practice of education. Despite a myriad of studies aimed at linking humor with personality traits, there seem a dearth number of research studies addressing the multifaceted humor styles of EFL instructors while interacting with the students in the classroom. There have been a number of scales thought-up in order to best assess the humor styles of the individual. However, the one identified by Martin et al. (2003) attempts to deal with the functions of humor, rather than particular personalities it may or may not represent. The four specific humor styles identified in this scale encompass two benign (affiliative and self-enhancing), and two injurious (aggressive and self-defeating) humor styles. The present study seeks to examine the humor styles adopted by English language instructors in Turkey by investigating (1) whether there is a difference between male and female instructors with regard to employing humor, (2) whether the educational level of the participants influences their tendency to use humor while interacting with the students in the classroom, and (3) whether the age of the instructors is an influential factor in adopting various styles of humor. A total of 64 English language instructors working at private and state universities in Turkey completed a standardized form of the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) online. Results indicated no significant difference between male and female instructors with regard to adopting humor styles in the classroom. Nor were there any differences between instructors of varying educational level in terms of the use of humor styles. In addition, no differences were seen according to age