The Implementation of English-Only Policy in the Tertiary Efl Context in Taiwan

Wei, David Dirkwen

doi:10.17509/ijal.v2i2.164

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Empirical research has highlighted the practical benefits that the English-only practice brings about. Firstly, it was found that an English-only policy can make students improve their listening skills (Wei, 2013).…”

Section: English-only Instruction In L2/fl Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vietnamese Efl Tertiary Teachers’ English Communication in Non-English Major Classes: A Case Study

Tran¹

2021

Preprint

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The way English is taught at all educational levels has been a matter of big concern in Vietnam. This is clearly shown by the National Foreign Languages Project 2020 (phases 2008-2016 and 2017-2025) which aims to renovate all aspects of English teaching including teaching facilities, teacher proficiency, curriculum, assessment methods, and learning outcomes, particularly in tertiary English teaching (Vietnamese Government, 2008). Teachers’ classroom English communication is an important part of English teaching and learning; thus, closely examining how they use classroom English and communication strategies is a necessity. However, most international and Vietnamese research of English communication in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching contexts has focused on the perspectives of learners, with limited attention given to the role of teachers. This thesis fills this gap by examining tertiary teachers’ practices of English communication in relation to learners’ perspectives. This study investigated how English communication was used by five Vietnamese lecturers of English who were teaching non-English major students at two public colleges in Vietnam. This research adopted a mixed methods and qualitative dominant approach. The data were collected via classroom observations, survey questionnaires, individual interviews with lecturers, and focus group interviews with students. Findings reveal that, while most of the lecturers said they used more English than Vietnamese, classroom observation and student interview data suggested that they spent marginally less time speaking English than Vietnamese. Both lecturers and students shared viewpoints on the benefits of an English-only approach, but many did not think this approach would be applicable and effective in classes. Both lecturers and students believed that lecturers’ choice and use of classroom language was predominantly influenced by the desire to ensure comprehension and to provide concern to students. Findings further show seven key communication strategies used by the lecturers, with humour having not been previously identified in communication strategy research. The lecturers’ roles as language users and language analysts are assumed to be mutually interconnected to lead to their practices of communication strategies; and the role of language teachers with their pedagogical learner knowledge shaped their perceptions on the functions and usages of communication strategies. Mismatches between the lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of classroom English communication were also identified. Those mismatches were caused by a limitation on communication at the interpersonal level between the lecturers and students and the particularly hierarchical and formal teacher-learner relationship in Vietnamese culture. To minimise those perceptual gaps, it is recommended that lecturers need to consider the perspectives of students to know what they expect to learn and how to learn that effectively. Lecturers’ classroom communication styles and strategies are also shown to be important to help alleviating those perceptual mismatches. It is also suggested that EFL classrooms should offer features of a supportive and motivating environment such as a well-designed classroom layout, teachers’ systematic corrective feedback, less asymmetrical power, and plentiful interaction opportunities. In the communicative and learner-centred teaching approaches, EFL teaching needs to be innovative to better engage and motivate students and to create more learning opportunities. Taken as a whole, this thesis suggests that socially affective classroom culture plays an important role in students’ foreign language (FL) and second language (L2) learning and development. A positive lecturer-student relationship, a supportive learning environment, and interaction opportunities are the three main factors that can mediate and construct students’ FL/L2 learning. This study also emphasises the essential role of lecturers in shortening the perceptual gaps between them and students and opening learning space for students. Lecturers’ classroom communications strategies are used for communicative, affective, motivational, and pedagogical purposes and can be converted into students’ learning strategies with mediation tools. To improve EFL teaching and learning, this study also recommends an English-dominant teaching policy, job-oriented and communicative-based syllabus and assessment, and frequent teacher self-reflection and students’ feedback. Lastly, the research has useful implications for EFL teacher education and proficiency development.

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Section: English-only Instruction In L2/fl Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vietnamese Efl Tertiary Teachers’ English Communication in Non-English Major Classes: A Case Study

Tran¹

2021

Preprint

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“…Furthermore, Sa'd and Qadermazi (2015) mentioned that one of the major advantages of avoiding L1 in the EFL classes is stated as being the improvement of speaking and listening skills, maximizing students' exposure to English and their becoming accustomed to it. It is supported by Wei (2013) who found the students' progress in English listening and speaking proficiency in the basic and lower-intermediate levels due to the English-only policy.…”

Section: Speaking To the Students And Handling Their Responsesmentioning

confidence: 87%

The Challenges Faced by Graduates of Teacher Professional Education Program

Hidayati

Widiati

Irawati

2020

Jur.Pend.Teo.Pen.Peng.

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Abstract: This article gives a report on a study on the challenges faced by graduates of Teacher Professional Education Program in terms of lesson planning, execution stage, and evaluation. Narrative research is used for this study to understand present real-life experiences. The study revealed that the graduates of PPG experienced some challenges in those three phase of teaching and learning process; however, along with those challenges, they were able to give responses which they thought to be the most effective responses.Abstrak: Penelitian ini melaporkan hasil penelitian tentang tantangan yang dihadapi oleh lulusan Program Pendidikan Profesi Guru dalam merencanakan pembelajaran, mengimplementasikan rencana pembelajaran, dan evaluasi pembelajaran. Penelitian naratif digunakan untuk memahami pengalaman nyata dalam kehidupan. Penelitian ini mengungkapkan bahwa lulusan program PPG mengalami beberapa tantangan dalam ketiga tahapan pembelajaran tersebut, namun bersama dengan itu, mereka mampu memberikan respons yang menurut mereka paling efektif untuk dilakukan

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“…Auerbach (1993) argues that English-only instruction in ESL countries has been regarded as "a 'natural' and 'common sense practice' which is rooted in a particular ideological perspective that serves to reinforce inequities in the broader social order" Arab World English Journal www.awej.org ISSN: 2229-9327 26 ( p.9). Many researchers (Auerbach, 1993;Cummins, 1986;Huang, 2009;Lee, 2010;Lotherington, 1996;Lucas & Katz, 1994;Morrison & Lui, 2000;Phillipson, 1992;Wei, 2013;Wiley & Lukes, 1996) argue that a monolingual approach to teaching English is ideological. However, in reality English-only immersion teaching is the most popular teaching method for children in English language schools in Taiwan (Chang, 2004).…”

Section: English-only Immersion Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ideology of The-Best-English-Teaching-Method in Taiwan's Children English Language Schools

Chang

2017

SSRN Journal

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Taiwanese people's motivation to learn English is a desire to communicate: a major obstacle to the mastery of spoken English has been the lack of opportunities to speak it. The traditional English teaching method cannot produce fluent English speakers. English teaching methodologies, such as English-only and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), have been widely adopted as practical and the best way to acquire English speaking proficiency in children English language schools, to the point where they are taken for granted by many Taiwanese people. The central argument of this study is that the evaluation of the so-called the-best-English-teaching-method in children English language schools and as common practice in Taiwanese society is ideological. To explore the ideological concept of the-best-English-teaching-method used in children English language schools, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was employed to analyze data drawn from children English language schools' promotional materials or advertisements. The results indicate the promotion of the-best-English-teaching-method by children English language schools has resulted in social injustice, such as native speaker ideology, native and non-native division, white and non-white division, and English proficiency gap in the rich and the poor and urban and rural areas. It is hoped that the results of this study can enable Taiwanese people to escape the ideologies which have been taken for granted for so long.

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The Implementation of English-Only Policy in the Tertiary Efl Context in Taiwan

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

Vietnamese Efl Tertiary Teachers’ English Communication in Non-English Major Classes: A Case Study

Vietnamese Efl Tertiary Teachers’ English Communication in Non-English Major Classes: A Case Study

The Challenges Faced by Graduates of Teacher Professional Education Program

The Ideology of The-Best-English-Teaching-Method in Taiwan's Children English Language Schools

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