Letter from the editor-in-chief

Dear WCCI friends and IJCI readers,It is my great pleasure and privilege to introduce the first online issue of WCCI International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction (IJCI).Since we are in the era of technology, we felt that it would be time saving, fast and environmentally friendly way to change the format of our journal from hard copy to soft copy via an electronic system. Thanks to the new format of IJCI the articles published in the journal will be easily accessible in all parts of the world by much more number of audience and researchers for their further or related studies. Meanwhile, IJCI will continue to hold its distinguished academic status in the international indexing systems.The first online issue of IJCI comprises four outstanding articles all passed through blind review and accordingly revised by their authors. The articles have the following characteristics;The article with the title “The intersection of pragmatics and applied linguistics in teaching speech acts: Apologies perspective” is on the implication of a pragmatics research exploring the effect of implicit teaching of apology speech act by native English speakers in elementary, intermediate and advanced English Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This study puts forward the fact that intermediate and advance levels of EFL learners make different use of apology strategies depending on the situation. In most cases, advance level learners approach native speaker norms better than intermediate level learners; however, in some cases, intermediate learners seem to use apology speech acts closer to native speaker norms. The subjects in both groups changed their use of making apologies after some classes with native speaker teachers in an implicit manner.The second article titled “Parental socio-economic-status as predictor of vocational aspirations of secondary school students in Nigeria: Implications for peace, curriculum planners and special educators” is a quantitative study investigating parental socio-economic status as an indicator of vocational aspirations of secondary school students in Nigeria. The study concludes that financial background of parents is not a strong predictor of vocational aspirations of students since parents of some students may be so occupied with work that they may not have much time to deal with their children or they may not know the right way to go about helping their children.The third article, which is titled “Strategies for peaceful problem solving in Nigeria” aims to identify some strategies for peaceful problem-solving in Nigeria. The author states that peace and harmony could only be achieved in a society with the provision of basic infrastructure, employment of youths, good governance and gainful skill acquisition for effective co-existence and individual self-reliance.The fourth article has the title “The green chemistry and Filipino approach to high school experiments in Saint Paul College Pasig” and is a call for teachers to initiate measures in improving the quality of high school chemistry education with some practical laboratory work with in the Philippines. The author discusses that integrating green chemistry concepts in the design of high school chemistry experiments makes students aware of the responsibility that goes with the use and production of chemicals.As always, the IJCI continues to publish the very best articles and reviews in education and to strengthen its editorial perspective. As Editor-in-Chief, I am happy to field your questions about potential articles, forum articles and notes, newsletters, field reports, necrologies, and reviews.I strongly encourage you to submit your work for consideration for publication in IJCI. We have adopted a simple Online Submission System for Authors and Reviewers. Starting immediately, all manuscripts and editorial communications should be sent via our Online Submission System by logging on to the journal website and following the instructions. First-time users are required to register before making submissions.I truthfully hope that you will find future issues of interest, and that you will enjoy and benefit from reading the articles in IJCI.Sincerely,Prof. Dr. Ismail Hakki MiriciEditor-in-Chief

AN INVESTIGATION OF INTERACTION AMONG WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND L2- SELF GUIDES

In this quantitative study, which utilized focus group survey method, the relationship among anxiety (specifically speaking anxiety in classroom), ideal L2-self and willingness to communicate was explored. The participants of the study were selected using convenience sampling model, and were composed of 81 volunteer students in total (26 females, 55 males) at a state university in Turkey in 2017-2018 academic year. The data were collected via; a) Ideal L2-self Scale (Dörnyei & Taguchi, 2010). The internal consistency of the scale was α = .90; b) Willingness to Communicate Scale (WTC) (Mccroskey, 1992) The internal consistency of the scale was Α = .94; and c) Foreign language speaking anxiety scale (FLSAS) by Huang (2004). The data were analyzed using the SPSS 21.00 software, and Pearson Correlation Analysis and Regression Analysis were conducted to find out whether Speaking Anxiety, Ideal L2-Self and Participants’ GPA predict WTC. The results revealed that Ideal L2-Self didn’t really affect students WTC (Beta=0.192, t=1.648; p=0.104>0.05). However, students’ GPA significantly affected their WTC (Beta=0.243, t=2.087; p=0.040<0.05)

State-of-the-art of Language Testing and Assessment in Non-formal Education: The Case of English Language Schools in Turkey

Purveying insights from a mixed-method research design, this study aims to enlighten the exploitation of the European guidelines in language testing and assessment practices in non-formal educational settings. Accordingly, three non-formal English language schools renowned for quality in Turkey were taken to in-depth analysis in order to offer a general paradigm from a sample of leading professionals on the utilization of the European benchmarks in language testing and assessment practices. The results have yielded that (1) there is a need for a more practical curriculum molded with a real auditing system for the enhancement of the current language testing and assessment practices; (2) there is a request for the validation process for language certificate examinations implemented in non-formal educational settings; (3) there is a demand for cooperation amidst the allies for the standardization process in language testing and assessment practices. The results are laced with some recommendations and implications for language testing and assessment

A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY ON THE PROFILE OF SOME POTENTIAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

This study aims to investigate why high school students might wish to choose teaching as a career. Who chooses teaching and why is important for policy makers the teacher is an important variable in determining the quality of education. Countries, especially developing ones, are aware that they need to train better teachers who would educate citizens of the 21st century. Teacher recruitment policies also play a role in the selection and maintenance of practicing teachers.  This study aims to (1) investigate the motives of high school students who wish to major in English, and most of whom may become English language teachers as a result of alternative recruitment policies; (2) to find out some information about the student’s language learning beliefs and habits. The opinions of their parents and their language teachers have also been looked into to uncover any persuasion or dissuasion from people around the entrants. Three questionnaires were developed by the researchers to gather information from 86 students, 30 parents and 29 teachers. The data of the study were analyzed via frequency distributions and percentages to demonstrate the motives and profiles of students and the opinions and influence of parents and teachers. The findings suggest that students may choose teaching English as a career because they like it and they are interested in the language and its culture. Teaching is also regarded as an advantageous job by students and their parents. Language teachers persuade students who have some perceived ability to teach and who like languages. The findings show that because of the entrance exam used for selection, students may lack proficiency in skills that are not assessed

The influence of peer-interaction on middle school students’ learning motivation: The influence of peer-interaction

This research’s aim is to investigate the impact of peer interaction on middle school students' learning motivation for English. The participants were composed of 100 students and 4 teachers of English who were selected via convenience sampling method on voluntary basis. In the study, the researcher collected both qualitative and quantitative data using a quasi-experimental research design. Firstly, the quantitative data were collected via Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) (Gardner, 1985), which is originally a 6-point Likert format and was adapted to a 5-point scale ranging from 'Strongly Agree' to 'Strongly Disagree' by Dogan (2009). The initial quantitative data were analyzed with the latest version of SPSS. Secondly, regarding qualitative data, a student interview form and a teacher interview forms which were developed by the researchers were also utilized. Interviews with the students and the teachers were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic content analysis was used to examine qualitative data. The results have revealed that CLT is much more effective in motivating the students’ English learning skills by giving them a chance to practice their passive knowledge English gained through GTM lessons. Moreover, board games are the most motivating CLT activity for the learners since as a fun activity, the board games match the students’ age range. The lack of knowledge on the side of teachers and the difficulty with performing CLT lesson are the major obstacles in the path toward integrating CLT lessons into school curricula. Due to the national examination system which requires grammar and vocabulary test-taking skills, GTM will remain the dominant lesson shape in the school curricula, however, CLT lesson may also gain a foothold in teaching English as a Foreign Language to the students

Pengaruh Work From Home terhadap Job Satisfaction yang Dimediasi Work Life Balance dan Dampaknya terhadap Employee Performance Industri Perbankan di Jakarta

This study aimed to analyze the effect of work from home on job satisfaction mediated by work life balance and its impact on employee performance in the banking industry in Jakarta with the variables work from home, job satisfaction, and organizational identification as independent variables and employee performance as the dependent variable, work life balance as a mediating variable. The method used in sampling in this study was purposive sampling with a total of 200 employees as respondents. Hypothesis testing using the AMOS analysis tool. The results of testing the hypothesis in this study show that work from home has a positive effect on work life balance, work from home has a positive effect on job satisfaction, work life balance has a positive effect on job satisfaction, there is a work from home effect on job satisfaction which mediated by work life balance, job satisfaction has a positive effect on organizational identification, and organizational identification has a positive effect on employee performance. Keywords:  Work From Home, Work Life Balance, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Identification, Employee Performanc