Quantifying Native Speakerism in Second Language (L2) Writing: A Study of Student Evaluations of Teaching

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sei Lee ◽  
Qian Du
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Teacher Assessment ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Multilingual Students ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Course Variables ◽  
Institutional Stakeholders

Abstract Despite the continually growing number of non-native English-speaking (NNES) teachers in English language teaching, the profession is nonetheless still shaped by native speakerism (Holliday 2005), the idealization of native English speakers (NESs) as linguistically and culturally superior to their NNES counterparts. Such an ideology leads to negative perceptions toward NNES faculty even if they hold equal qualifications to their NES counterparts. This study sought to determine whether multilingual students themselves evaluate instructors differently based on the instructors’ language background. Based on 5,050 Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) scores compiled over three years (2015–18), independent t-tests and MANCOVA analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between NNES students’ perceptions of teacher effectiveness and instructor’s language background. Such findings were further compounded by instructor’s gender and course variables, additionally disadvantaging NNES instructors. The broader implications are for institutional stakeholders to be cognizant of the prevalence of native speakerism in L2 writing contexts and use holistic models for teacher assessment to adapt more equitable approaches to assessing underrepresented faculty.

scholarly journals Translanguaging-as-Resource: University ESL Instructors’ Language Orientations and Attitudes Toward Translanguaging

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-47
Author(s):  
Jennifer Burton ◽  
Shakina Rajendram
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
English Only ◽  
Multilingual Students ◽  
Classroom Language ◽  
Langue Seconde ◽  
Language Orientations

This article explores university English as a Second Language (ESL) instructors’ attitudes toward translanguaging in the classroom and possible reasons for instructors’ resistance in moving translanguaging ideology into English language teaching pedagogy. Many researchers have forwarded translanguaging as a theoretical and pedagogical approach to language education because of its potential cognitive, social, and affective benefits. A translanguaging pedagogy calls for instructors to affirm the dynamic and diverse language practices that multilingual students utilize as part of their unitary language repertoire. However, because English-only pedagogies, policies, and practices still permeate the ESL classroom, it is critical to understand how ESL instructors’ language ideologies and orientations play a role in shaping their pedagogical practices and classroom language policies. Using Ruíz’s orientations in language planning and translanguaging theory, this study examined the language orientations of five ESL instructors at a major Canadian university based on qualitative data gathered through semistructured interviews. The findings provide insights into instructors’ attitudes toward translanguaging, the relationship between instructors’ language learning experiences and their classroom language policy, and institutional opportunities and constraints. Le présent article explore les attitudes des professeurs d’anglais langue seconde (ESL) au niveau universitaire face au translangagisme en salle de classe ainsi que les raisons possibles de leur résistance à l’introduction de l’idéologie translangagière dans la pédagogie de l’enseignement de l’anglais. De nombreux travaux de recherche renvoient au translangagisme comme démarche théorique et pédagogique d’enseignement des langues en raison de ses avantages cognitifs, sociaux et affectifs. La pédagogie translangagière invite les professeurs à soutenir le dynamisme et la diversité des pratiques langagières que les étudiantes et étudiants multilingues utilisent déjà dans le cadre de leur répertoire linguistique unitaire. Toutefois, puisque l’enseignement de l’anglais langue seconde en classe reste imprégné de pédagogies, de politiques, et de pratiques exclusivement anglophones, il est essentiel de comprendre le rôle que jouent les idéologies et les orientations des professeurs d’anglais langue seconde dans la formation de leurs pratiques pédagogiques et de leurs politiques d’enseignement en classe. S’inspirant des orientations de Ruíz en matière de planification langagière et de théorie translangagière, la présente étude examine les orientations linguistiques de cinq professeures et professeurs d’anglais langue seconde dans une grande université canadienne à l’aide de données qualitatives recueillies dans le cadre d’entrevues semi-structurées. Les conclusions de l’enquête aident à mieux comprendre les attitudes des professeurs face au translangagisme, la relation entre les expériences d’apprentissage langagier des professeurs, et leur politique langagière en classe ainsi que les possibilités et les contraintes institutionnelles.

scholarly journals On the Interaction of Test Washback and Teacher Assessment Literacy: The Case of Iranian EFL Secondary School Teachers

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Razavipour Kiomrs ◽  
Riazi Abdolmehdi ◽  
Rashidi Naser
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Teacher Assessment ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

It is by now well established that teacher characteristics play a major role in the way high stakes tests impact education (Alderson and Hamp-Lyons 1996). What remains an open question, however, is specifying the type of characteristics that have the potential to moderate the backwash effects of tests. This study was designed to isolate the effects of teachers’ assessment literacy in moderating the washback effects of summative tests in the EFL context of Iran. A test of assessment literacy and a questionnaire on English language teaching practices were administered to 53 EFL secondary school teachers. Results show that teachers are suffering from a poor knowledge base in assessment and no matter how assessment literate they are; they do tailor their English teaching and testing to the demands of external tests. However, more assessment literate EFL teachers seem to be more likely to include non-washback practices in their English teaching. The implications for teacher training and teachers’ professional development programs are then discussed.

scholarly journals Peer Feedback Practice in EFL Tertiary Writing Classes

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha Thi Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Current Feedback ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
English Writing

<p>Peer feedback plays a pivotal role in stimulating students’ participation in L2 writing, which has the potential to develop students’ writing skills. The concept of metacognition has also been examined to facilitate learner writers in their learning process. As such, this study drawing upon the concept of metacognition explores the implementation of peer feedback in English as a foreign language (EFL) tertiary writing classes in Vietnam and based on the findings develops a peer feedback approach to enhance the learners’ metacognition. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with sixteen English majors and classroom observations in two English writing classes at a university in Vietnam. Content analysis of the data revealed that peer feedback was informally implemented in two EFL writing classes under study, which might suggest that few opportunities for the students to develop their metacognition could be provided in this current feedback approach. The findings also demonstrated the learners’ expectations for changes in peer feedback practice in their writing classes. Thus, the study suggested a jigsaw peer feedback approach which met the participants’ desires and simultaneously afforded the learners a number of opportunities to improve their metacognition in EFL writing contexts, especially in Vietnam. This study helps to extend the literature in peer feedback approach in L2 writing which is underpinned by the concept of metacognition and offers both pedagogical and theoretical implications in English language teaching (ELT).<strong></strong></p>

Assessment planning within the context of university English language teaching (ELT) in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yueting Xu
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Assessment ◽  
Lesson Plans ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Teacher Interviews ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Assessment Tasks

Teacher assessment literacy (AL) is a concern for both educational assessment and teacher education research. As part of teacher AL, teacher competency of assessment planning has remained underexplored. To address this gap, this study explored how a group of 20 contest-winning university English teachers in China planned for assessment through qualitative analyses of their lesson plans and follow-up teacher interviews. The findings show that: (1) lesson plans include assessment-related components such as teaching objectives, student background, instruction-embedded assessment, and after-class assessment tasks; (2) their assessment planning is characterized by a clear understanding of learning goals, but an absence of rubrics and exemplars for performance assessments, over-reliance on groups as target of assessment, and inconsistencies between learning objectives and assessment tasks; and (3) their assessment planning was mainly intuitive and instruction-oriented. This paper concludes with a working model of assessment planning, and discusses a future research agenda for assessment planning.

Error Analysis for English Language Teachingat Primary Level

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Dr. Shreeja Sharma ◽  
Prof. Shubhra Tripathi
Keyword(s):  
Error Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Primary Level ◽  
Indian Schools ◽  
Prime Concern ◽  
School Teaching ◽  
Linguistic Code ◽  
Global Language

The prime concern of every language teacher, and to some extent every linguist, is to device pedagogical methods and strategies which facilitate language acquisition. The concern of any teacher or applied linguist is, though not explicitly stated anywhere, to equip the learners with “correct” features of the language being learnt. Emphasis on “correctness” is due to the presumption that erroneous structures or deviations from linguistic code will lead to incomprehensibility and impediment in communication.As a result of such convictionsContrastive Analysis (CA) and Error Analysis (EA) focussed their attention on “correct” grammatical, lexical and syntactical features of Target Language (TL), in this case English.Both  Contrastive Analysts and Error Analysts analysed the language and tried to predict areas of ease or difficulty. This was often achieved with ‘some’ degree of success. However, in the present socio-educational milieu of Indian schools, where English language teaching is a significant stake, insights from CA and EA, particularly the latter, are either not taken into cognizance, or found inadequate. CA is taken into consideration, though obliquely, indirectly and cursorily, where English language is taught resorting to bilingualism. EA is usually ignored completely. Even when teachers correct students’ assignments and copies, they point out mistakes/errors, suggest corrections, but neither take into account why these mistakes/errors have occurred, nor how to prevent such cases in future. With the ever growing importance of English as a global language and a second language in India, no stakeholder in education can afford to undermine the significance of ELT.The time is therefore ripe to take a fresh look at Error Analysis (EA) and assess how it can be deployed as a powerful tool in school teaching.

English Students’ Attitudes towards English Language Teaching and Learning at IAIN Padangsidimpuan

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Royani ◽  
T. Silvana Sinar
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Role Models ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
English Students

This study investigated the English students’ attitudes of IAIN Padangsidimpuan towards both English language teaching in terms of (a) language-centered, (b) learner-centered, and (c) learning-centered method; and learning English in terms of scales (a) attitudes toward long-term English learning, (b) interest in culture and communication, (c) perception about studying in school context, (d) images associated with English, (e) English learning activities, (f) exposure to English outside school, (g) self-rated four English skills, (h) self-reported academic English grade, and (i) identification of English role models. The data were obtained by questionnaire and interview from 10 selected students in which 4 male and 6 female students in 7th semester and were analyzed by steps provided by Gay, L.R and Airasian (1996). The result showed:  first, English students’ attitudes towards English language teaching had been found highly onlearning-centered method, followed by learner-centered method in second range, and almost negative view in language-centered method.Second, English students’ attitudes towards English language learningwere positivein scales; long-term English learning, interest in communication, and images associated with English.  Third, role of students’ gender on English language learning were not found. Reasons for this statement are (i) status of English as international language and (ii) equalization of getting education for male and female. Keywords: attitude, language teaching, language learning, and gender

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