Reading an academic expository text – The ESL learner’s experience

Researches on approaches to learning have often described students as either deep or surface learners. In essence, the deep approach is associated with intrinsic motivation, a focus on understanding the meaning of the learning material and relating new ideas to previous knowledge. In contrast, the surface approach views a particular task in isolation, a focus on memorizing discrete facts and reproduces terms through rote learning. Although these studies have provided information on the qualitative differences of learning in various contexts, little research has been conducted to examine the students’ learning approaches within an ESL context. Accordingly, the primary purpose of this paper is to describe and compare six ESL learners’ approaches of two readings of an academic expository text. Three instruments were used to collect data: reading sessions, individual interviews and observations, whereby all sessions were videotaped, audio taped and transcribed verbatim. Findings of the study revealed that there were qualitative differences in the ESL approaches of reading an academic expository text and that different types of approaches were employed in the two readings of the text. To conclude, the paper will further discuss the implications of the findings and some pedagogical considerations for the teaching and learning of reading within an ESL context

Foreign language speaking anxiety of Jordanian freshman English learners

Mastering English language skills is significant, particularly with respect to speaking for Jordanian undergraduates because the English language is becoming vital in some sectors in Jordan like tourism, foreign affairs, and higher education. Generally, it has been acknowledged that foreign language (FL) speaking anxiety hinders the attempts of language learners to become involved in speaking activities. Nevertheless, some studies have been conducted to probe language anxiety in general and anxiety pertaining to other language skills in Jordan. However, none of these studies was designed intentionally to address the specific FL speaking anxiety. Thus, the current research was meant to address the factors contributing to English FL speaking anxiety in the Jordanian context. To do so, in-depth, one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty freshman students attending Jadara University in Irbid, Jordan. NVivo software was used to manage the coding procedure in analysing the data, and respondents declared twelve factors leading to an increased level of speaking anxiety. All were like the findings of previous empirical studies except four new sources: fear of being perceived as showing-off, cultural barrier between male and female students, fear of impromptu questions and previous experience in school. The first two of these factors highlight the importance of considering the cultural backgrounds of learners when teaching English in an Arabic and/or Muslim context like Jordan. The other two factors reveal the inadequacy of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching in schools, and universities too. The results support the theory that cultural differences are significant in addressing the issue of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA). Identification of these factors could lead future research, language teachers, and educators in better understanding of English language learning in the context of Jordan and move forward to develop strategies and tactics to overcome the difficulties triggered by speaking anxiety

Manifestation of cultural identity(s) in an Iranian English language Literacy classroom: a critical discourse analysis

English language Literacy education has recently focused attention on cultural identity(s). In these studies, cultural identities are defined as a significant “source of meaning and experience” constructed by and connected to the social context of the external world. More precisely, cultural identities are constructed by increasingly complexities of what construct literacy and multi literate practices in 21 century as a constantly changing socially and culturally diverse, globalized and technological era. This view can open a new horizon to English language literacy education in the new era which is supposed to go beyond merely 4 -skill dominant pedagogical orthodoxy. The current study as a qualitative case study framed in New London Group focuses on how literacy practices and consequently cultural identities are constructed in an Iranian EFL classroom. To do so, we applied a critical classroom discourse analysis as the main technique of data collection. Results of this study can enrich the research literature in new literacy studies in which EFL contexts are still less visible

A blended approach in teaching an EAP course: Malaysian instructors’ perceptions of the new course materials

This paper reports on a study which examines instructors’ perceptions of the new commercial course materials that comprises a course book and online practice reinforcement activities. The materials were used to teach undergraduate English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course for Social Sciences at a Malaysian public university. This represents the main facet of the blended approach introduced when the course was redesigned. The sample comprises ten instructors who taught the course for one semester. Three qualitative instruments were utilized to elicit data namely, instructor-researcher reflective notes, focus group discussion and one-to-one interviews. The results of the study were generally positive, however, two main concerns were raised. The first was regarding the difficulty level of the reading comprehension activities in the course book which majority of the instructors felt were too simple and not challenging enough for their students. The second was on internet connectivity to the online practice website which the instructors felt was too slow and was unable to support the students efficiently. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings and provides suggestions for the next cycle of the researc

Interdiscursivity of pedagogic discourse in the ESL classroom in primary school

The analysis of pedagogic discourses in the classroom can reveal a great deal about teachers’ interpretation and implementation of the curriculum. Studies by previous scholars have mainly described pedagogic discourses at the surface level but neglected addressing its relevance to the curriculum. As a result, discourse practices underlying pedagogic discourses are neither identified nor explained at the fundamental level. The study reported here was carried out to identify and interpret the practices of interdiscursivity in pedagogic discourse and to relate these discourse practices to the demands of curriculum implementation. Data comprising six recordings of pedagogical discourse during ESL teaching and learning sessions in four primary schools in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia was analysed using the discursive practice dimension. Results reveal five types of discourse used by teachers in the classroom, namely requirement, argumentation, notification, description, and narration. However, only one type of discourse was used by the students in the classroom that is, responding. Overall, teachers were found to dominate the pedagogic discourse in the classroom. This indicates that the demand of the current curriculum for a student-centred classroom culture does not seem to have been implemented. This study is expected to provide a new dimension in pedagogical discourse analysis, specifically for teachers

A responsive pedagogical initiative for multimodal oral presentation skills: an action research study

Poor oral presentation skills amongst ESL speakers are frequently linked to weakness in general English proficiency. However, the literature has also identified the lack of a systematic and effective pedagogical method to develop students' multimodal oral presentation skills to meet 21st century communication realities. This paper elucidates the application of a pedagogical initiative for multimodal oral presentations skills, informed by the Sociocultural Theory of Learning created by Vygotsky (1978), and the Pedagogy of Multiliteracies introduced by the New London Group (1996) and further developed by Cope and Kalantzis (2009). This initiative was experienced by 20 students through the action-reflection cycle methodology and was implemented for 13 weeks in a tertiary ESL classroom. Preliminary findings based on focus group interviews indicated that the initiative left a clear positive impact on student abilities in various multimodal components of oral presentation skills. Furthermore, the initiative positively affected students’ learning experience and raised their self-awareness of themselves as presenters. The findings also suggested that techniques employed in the initiative such as videos, feedback, collaborative learning and Web 2.0 could scaffold the students’ development of multimodal oral presentation skills. Based on these findings, significant implications for teaching oral presentation skills systematically are offered to be referred by ESL practitioners and researchers; in particular, the proposed multimodal oral presentations skills model as a multiliteracies pedagogy and the potential use of web 2.0 tools in promoting collaborative learning and creation of creative content by the learners

Influence of social networking on Malaysian female secondary students: a qualitative study across three schools

Social networking (SN) allows individuals to make connections with each other for both social and business purposes. The purpose of this research study is to find out the influence of SN on students from three Malaysian secondary schools by comparing their attitudes and behaviour towards SN besides finding out whether they are aware of the risks and danger involved, and how they handle them. These schools are all normal day schools and are located in three different types of school environments in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur namely: urban, suburban and rural. Focus groups interviews were conducted on these students who were asked to give their response to seven scenarios depicting negative situations involving SN such as texting, cyberbullying, and hacking and identity theft. The findings revealed that these students were not very different from those in the west in that they are aware of risks involving in SN and will stay clear of risky behaviours. However, students in these three schools handled the problems related to SN in a more direct manner compared to the elite students in Thang et al.’s (2016) study. In particular, students in School C which is a rural school seemed to be less perturbed over the negative consequences of SN compared to students in the other schools

Reading academic text: awareness and experiences among University ESL learners

Studying in the university for the first time may involve a sudden change in the way of learning for most students. These initial experiences of higher education may have a profound effect on whether these students are able to successfully complete their course of studies. The review of literature on students’ approaches to learning has often described students as either deep or surface learners. A deep approach is associated with intrinsic motivation and a focus on understanding the meaning of the learning material. In contrast, a surface approach focuses on memorizing discrete items in isolation resulting in superficial understanding of the learning material. Although these studies have provided information on the different approaches in various contexts, little research has been conducted within an ESL context. Accordingly, through phenomenography, the aim of this paper is to describe the reading process of six ESL learners within a Malaysian educational context. Findings will reveal that there exist ‘variations’ or ‘qualitative differences’ in these ESL students’ approaches of reading an English academic expository text

ESL learners’ reading approaches of an academic expository text

The primary purpose of the present study is to explore the reading approaches of ESL learners reading an academic expository text. Through phenomenography, this study aims to identify the variations or different ways in which six ESL learners read an academic expository text. The ability to read effectively is a prominent skill required in any academic or higher learning contexts. However, many first year students, specifically second language learners, who enter institutions of higher learning, are found to be unprepared for the reading demands placed upon them. The sample of this study involved six second-year Bachelor of Arts students, majoring in English Language Studies (ELS) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Three instruments were used in the collection of data: reading text, in depth interviews and observations. Findings revealed variations that represented the deep and surface approaches of reading an academic expository text. Although changes were recorded with each reading, further research could enhance the representation of students‟ approaches to reading if analyzed at individual level

Konsepsi pelajar terhadap pembacaan dalam Bahasa Inggeris sebagai bahasa kedua

Sejak kebelakangan ini, kajian yang bertumpu kepada konsepsi pelajar terhadap pembelajaran amatlah giat dijalankan. Dua pandangan utama telah terhasil daripada kajian ini; pandangan pertama berkait dengan pemahaman permukaan yang merangkumi penyimpanan maklumat, penghasilan semula ilmu dan penambahannya, manakala pandangan kedua meliputi konstruksi makna dan perubahan pemahaman secara peribadi. Kajian-kajian berkaitan yang lain juga mendapati pandangan yang sama dengan dua pandangan di atas. Bagaimanapun, kajian-kajian tersebut tidak menunjukkan wujudnya kesepakatan pandangan dalam memahami makna sebenar konsepsi pelajar terhadap pembelajaran. Ini disebabkan oleh wujudnya kepelbagaian cara pembelajaran yang telah menghasilkan kepelbagaian konsepsi pembelajaran. Justru, kajian ini akan mengutarakan hasil dapatan yang dijalankan ke atas sekumpulan pelajar ‘Limited English Proficiency’ (LEP) di sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi awam terhadap konsepsi pembacaan dalam konteks pembacaan dalam bahasa Inggeris sebagai bahasa kedua. Menerusi soalan terbuka dan tinjauan, dapatan menunjukan terdapat persamaan dan juga perbezaan kualitatif pada konsepsi pembelajaran pelajar LEP. Seterusnya, implikasi hasil dapatan ke atas pengajaran dan pembelajaran pembacaan dalam bahasa kedua juga akan di bincangkan