CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE EFL TEACHER: PERSPECTIVES OF SLOVAK EFL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Teachers, scholars, and researchers have always been interested in examining the qualities of good and effective teaching and this type of investigation appears to be beneficial for both EFL teachers and learners. In line with those investigations, this study attempts to explore the Slovak EFL students’ and teachers’ perceptions of an effective EFL teacher. To achieve the research objectives, a convenient sample of Slovak EFL students (n = 45) and teachers (n = 32) were employed. An open-ended question questionnaire was created and distributed in order to gather the data. The research results indicate that there exists some agreement between the two targeted groups, but also some discrepancies between the students and teachers as regards their perception of effective EFL teaching. Further investigation into this is necessary to shed more light on this matter. Article visualizations

USING ENGLISH MOVIES AND TV PROGRAMS FOR DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILLS OF EFL LEARNERS

The skill of listening has always been regarded as one of the primary skills in foreign language teaching. The article attempts to investigate the effects of employing ICT, namely extensive viewing of movies and TV programs, on listening skills of EFL (English as a foreign language) learners. A total of 18 students of Teaching English Language and Literature study program were targeted for this preliminary study. Based on the data acquired by a questionnaire, they were divided into three groups: those who watch movies and TV programs in the original in English on a daily basis 1 hour a day, 2 hours a day, and 3 and more hours a day. Afterwards, all the participants took a listening test, and the obtained data were subsequently analyzed using the Friedman ANOVA non-parametric statistical test and a post-hoc test. The preliminary results illustrate that despite the fact that some differences in the mean scores were observed, no statistically significant difference was detected in the listening test scores between the three groups (p = 0.31). In a similar way, the post-hoc test yielded the same results (p = 0.68; p = 0.22; p = 0.22). Thus, the amount of daily exposure to watching English movies and TV programs in the original did not seem to occupy a substantial role in relation to listening skills of EFL learners. It is vital that further research, on a larger sample of respondents, be conducted, also due to the fact that the exploration of this field of English language teaching and learning is still in its infancy. Extensive listening (extensive viewing) represents a useful and popular way of improving listening skills, which requires attention of teachers and students, and this preliminary study explores whether higher exposure to viewing movies and TV programs results in better listening skills of EFL learners

Allotted Time and Ways to Teaching Pronunciation at Lower-secondary School Levels in Slovakia

This study is concerned with the process of teaching and learning pronunciation. It aims to determine to what extent pronunciation is taught at a lower secondary school level in Slovakia. 15 lessons were observed with the focus on how much time and what ways are devoted to teaching pronunciation. Afterwards, a questionnaire was distributed to both the students and the teachers in order to find out what importance they attach to pronunciation teaching. Ultimately, relevant conclusions are drawn and constructive suggestions are provided

QUALITIES OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS AS PERCEIVED BY SLOVAK EFL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

This paper attempts to examine the characteristics of EFL teachers in Slovakia, focusing on the most important qualities of language teachers. The main objective of this article is to discover which characteristics are important for the effective educational process with regard to EFL teaching as perceived by the Slovak EFL students and teachers. A convenient sample of teachers (n = 32) and students (n = 45) were selected to take part in this study. The research method that was employed to achieve the research objectives was the questionnaire-based survey. The obtained data were categorized under three groups: English subject matter, pedagogical skills and knowledge, and socio-affective skills and personality traits. Apart from highlighting the most important features of language teachers within the three groups, the study also offers some insight on items that were perceived differently by the students and teachers. Finally, the results are interpreted, conclusions drawn, and pedagogical implications are provided.  Article visualizations

EXTENSIVE LISTENING PRACTICE OF EFL LEARNERS WITH AUTHENTIC ENGLISH VIDEOS

The present study investigates the self-reported frequency of watching authentic English videos by university EFL students with the intent of practicing listening comprehension skills. The subjects, 37 Slovak university students, were divided into two groups: 17 first-year B.A. students and 20 first-year M.A. students with the same major Teaching Training: English Language and Literature. Both groups filled in a questionnaire regarding their watching of authentic English videos. The findings suggest that both groups of subjects reported viewing English videos either every day or every other day, which could be considered extensive listening practice. The subjects seem to watch videos on video sharing websites and social networking websites fairly frequently as the majority of B.A. and M.A. students chose every day or every other day options in the questionnaire. Moreover, the participants considered practicing listening outside classroom through viewing English videos as beneficial to the development of their listening skills. This indicates that watching authentic English videos should have a place in EFL learning

The Use of Smartphone English Language Learning Apps in the Process of Learning English: Slovak EFL Students’ Perspectives

In recent years, an accelerating trend in an undergoing shift from the use of traditional desktop computers towards the utilisation of smartphones for language learning purposes has been detected. In line with these trends, this study aims to investigate Slovak EFL learners’ attitudes and perceptions of English language learning apps (ELLA) regarding practicing and learning English. Furthermore, the differences in the perception of ELLA between the male and female research participants are also analysed. The target population totalled 158 Slovak university EFL learners, 48 males and 110 females, who were required to display their level of agreement to statements by responding to a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The instrument consisted of 30 statements altogether, involving items on apps’ usage and apps’ perception. The calculated means indicate that the participants’ attitudes and perceptions of ELLA range between being neutral and positive, and that EFL learners tend to practice language systems and skills to varying degrees. Moreover, 30 independent-sample t-tests, which were run in order to determine the differences between the male and female attitudes and perceptions, reveal that 50% of statements on apps’ usage and apps’ perception differ significantly, demonstrating considerable differences between the two sexes. The achieved results seem to contribute to the existing research on the use of smartphones and ELLA in the context of EFL learning by casting more light on mobile language learning, an area that merits further scientific exploration

Ethical Issues in the Assessment of Speaking Skills

Language assessment is a rather complex yet an inseparable part of the learning process. Not only should it represent learners' achievements, but it also ought to facilitate and enhance learning. Assessing spoken proficiency can be regarded as particularly difficult, complex, and time-consuming since many aspects of oral performance need to be carefully considered. The two types of assessment, the assessment for learning (formative assessment) and the assessment of learning (summative assessment), have to be taken into account as they both occupy a significant role in the overall development of speaking skills of a learner. However, mastering the formal and informal kinds of assessment requires considerable expertise, hard effort, and invaluable experience. Therefore, EFL teachers often fail in their attempt to conduct a proper and fair assessment of speaking skills. Moreover, the question of ethics, which represents an important element of the assessment process, is frequently neglected too. This paper discusses ethical issues in the assessment of spoken proficiency of EFL learners. Furthermore, ethical obligations EFL teachers ought to comply with in terms of the Communicative approach are also explored

University EFL learners’ perceptions of communicative language teaching and learning

This paper attempts to explore Slovak EFL learners’ perceptions of the fundamental principles of communicative approach, which has been employed as the primary way of teaching foreign languages for the past five decades. Research participants were formed by 111 Slovak university EFL leaners – teacher trainees (n = 111), who were asked to demonstrate their level of agreement to the statements concerning communicative language teaching by responding to a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The calculated means indicate that overall, the research participants are in agreement with the selected principles of CLT as they agreed with 16 out of the 18 chosen statements. However, they appear to be neutral about two aspects of CLT, the use of native language at EFL lessons and discovering and investigating grammatical rules by learners themselves. Arising out of the research results, the conclusions are drawn, and pedagogical implications are discussed

Confronting the Challenges of MALL: Distraction, Cheating, and Teacher Readiness

Mobile technologies appear to be gaining in popularity regarding foreign language instruction they have recently proliferated in academic environments. M-learning opens up new possibilities and opportunities for both teachers and students, and it is inevitable that methodological approaches to pedagogy and ways of teaching foreign languages are accordingly adjusted and reevaluated. Despite the numerous significant advantages mobile technologies offer, scholars and educators have to take into consideration some barriers and limitations in this respect, and respond to both existing and future challenges. Moreover, the studies on MALL (mobile-assisted language learning) seem to be predominantly focused on benefits of specific technological advances when the advantages of MALL are discussed. This article attempts to present a critical review of the literature which deals with MALL as further research and exploration in this area is necessary, especially with regard to challenges and barriers language teachers face when m-technologies are employed. Three major drawbacks related to using mobile technologies in teaching are predominantly discussed, namely learner distraction, cheating, and teacher perception and readiness. Moreover, proposing feasible solutions to the challenges and barriers is also discussed in the article

THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DICTIONARIES FOR PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE BY UNIVERSITY EFL STUDENTS

This paper attempts to explore how Slovak learners of English use electronic dictionaries with regard to pronunciation practice and improvement. A total of 24 Slovak university students (subjects) completed a questionnaire which contained pronunciation-related questions in connection with the use of electronic dictionaries. The questions primarily concerned electronic editions of monolingual learner’s dictionaries, dictionaries intended for native speakers, and specialized (special-purpose) pronunciation dictionaries. The main objective of this small-scale study was to identify the frequency, manner, and types of electronic dictionaries used by the subjects in order to practice and improve their pronunciation. The findings indicate that the subjects of the study use electronic dictionaries for pronunciation practice relatively often, learner’s dictionaries being the most preferred choice. The study also recommends that EFL learners exploit the pronunciation conveniences of electronic dictionaries extensively