A Comparative Study on Perceptions of English Teachers’ Mediation Between Private University Teachers and Students

Abstract

Mediation theory facilitates teachers and students to tackle the barriers in English teaching and learning process. It offers a sound systematic theoretical fort on which teachers could rely, redefines teachers’ roles and functionings in the process of learners’ cognitive development and growing self-regulations. The famous psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1978) raised notions in his ZPD theory, Feuerstein (1980) illuminates capable adults as mediators, and defined twelve main features of mediation, which has empirical study value for English teaching. Thus, through quantitative and qualitative research, this paper aims to investigate the perceptions of English teachers’ mediation between private university teachers and students, analyze and compare the similarities and differences between them. The results reveal that both teachers and students coming from the two private universities have been aware of the importance of teachers’ mediation, however, have different perceptions in the frequency of teachers’ mediation. Teachers’ actual employment on mediation is weaker than their beliefs on the importance of it.

The perceptions of tertiary level EFL teachers and students to the tool mediation learning experience in reading skills: A case for cloud computing environment

“…It implies that it is obvious to see in this study's finding that the the mean scores of all items are over 4.0, however the degree of importance varies. This result is also the same as the results of other researchers (Lei & Lin, 2018;Abiy, 2005;Yang, 2006;Lai, 2004) that affirmed the mediation tools' mean scores of the whole items are above 4.0. That is to say, the Mediation tools scores (t =.0.000, df =31) revealed that there was a significant difference.…”

“…According to Lei and Lin's (2018) findings, shared intention has the highest score, which is consistent with the findings of prior studies by Lai (2004), as well as Yang (2006), while a sense of competence and control of behavior come in second and third place, consecutively. Subsequently, awareness of change, which is consistent with Chi's (2009) study, a sense of belonging, and challenges have been the least important tools successively (Lei & Lin, 2018). Additionally, Deligianni's (2000) study's findings gave less value to the mediation of meaning and transcendence.…”

“…In other words, teachers' perceptions of the frequency are stronger than students' perceptions to some degree. (Lei & Lin, 2018). These results pinpointed those teachers had limited practice of the mediation tools in their reading classes.…”

The Changing Role of Chinese English-as-Foreign-Language Teachers in the Context of Curriculum Reform: Teachers’ Understanding of Their New Role

“…The most important of these is the highly hierarchical nature of Chinese culture, which lowers learners’ status and leads them to be passive recipients to receive whatever their higher status teachers transmit to them. The second reason is that questions or challenges from learners may put teachers at the risk of losing face because they may not have the correct answers ( Biggs, 1996 ; Zheng, 2013 ; Li and Wegerif, 2014 ; Lei, 2022 ).…”

“…This raises the question of how well teachers understand and engage with their new roles. In order to implement a curriculum reform successfully, teachers involved are required to have a common understanding of its nature, purposes and scope ( Vähäsantanen and Eteläpelto, 2009 ; Fullan, 2012 ; Yang, 2015 ; Lei and Medwell, 2020 ; Greenier et al, 2021 ; Lei, 2022 ). The present article reports the findings of an analysis of the NCS document focusing on two of the key areas of change proposed—the teacher’s role and humanistic values.…”