A Multimodal Analysis of Affect and Attitude Education in China’s English Textbooks

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Teo ◽  
Jianbin Zhu

Abstract In many countries around the world, the focus of education has seen a distinct shift from knowledge and skills equipping to the cultivation of values, attitudes and even affect. This study focuses on the verbal and visual representations of affect and attitude in a set of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks published in China. By analyzing the verbal and visual attitudinal meanings through the analytic lenses of appraisal theory and visual grammar respectively, the paper shows how verbal and visual resources with positive appraisal meanings are employed to foster positive affect and attitudes toward English language learning, China, and foreign cultures in the textbooks. While these verbal and visual resources echo generally concordant attitudinal meanings, some significant dissonances were also detected. For instance, tensions seem to exist between strengthening local loyalties to China while promoting a global outlook, raising standards of English language among Chinese students by appealing to Anglo-centric models of proficiency, and raising awareness of foreign cultures by invoking familiar local customs and practices. These findings hold important implications for language educators, curriculum designers and educational researchers working in the field of multimodality.

Author(s):  
Yormatova Gulnoz Qayumovna

Abstract: Through this article, we have discussed how and when and where the CEFR system, the most convenient and knowledge-based language learning system in the world today, was created and improved. Keywords: The Common European Framework, comprehensive way, knowledge and skills, professionals working, taxonomic nature.


Author(s):  
Jolanta Zastavnaja

In Europe in the second half of the 20th century, events such as radical economic and social change, globalisation and its expression in culture, politics, the economy and the environment, and progress in scientific and information technology had an impact on education. At school, today's students must be taught such knowledge and skills so that they can survive and be successful in the changing 21st century. Preparing students for life and work is in the spotlight in 21st-century education. The aim of the study is to explore and analyse the development of transversal skills in English language textbooks and to explore the possibilities in order to evaluate English language textbooks in terms of transversal skills. In this research, five English textbooks for 1st-3rd grade were analysed. Qualitative research, descriptive research and content analysis were used in this research. The author reveals that in the latest English textbooks, issued in 2017 and 2018, there are significantly more tasks, thus creating transversal skills for students. In turn, older English textbooks, issued in 2013, lack tasks based on a transversal skills approach. The result of this study shows which English textbooks of the five the author of this study recommends using at school in terms of their transversal skills. From this study, the author has created a recommended checklist for teachers in order to analyse foreign language textbooks in terms of communicative skills, collaborative skills, critical thinking and creativity skills.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Kim Hua Tan ◽  
Atieh Farashaiyan ◽  
Rahman Sahragard ◽  
Fatemeh Faryabi

The position of the English language in the world has recently underwent an enormous shift. The global spread of English has altered its status from being a homogeneous and standard language spoken by a few powerful countries into an international language or lingua franca spoken by a wide variety of speakers around the world (Llurda, 2014). The unprecedented global demand, use, and appropriation of English as an international language (EIL) necessitates a profession-wide response to English language learning, teaching, teacher education, assessment, and policy. The international status of English and increase in the number of EIL learners require a teaching agenda that incorporates pedagogical approaches that teach English based on EIL principles (Matsuda, 2017). The current study attempts to discuss the implications of EIL on issues related to language pedagogy, such as culture and intercultural competence in EIL, native-like competence, English teachers in the EIL pedagogy, language assessment in EIL and EIL teacher education. The studies show that EIL as a means of intercultural communication in a wide range of contexts calls for a reconceptualisation of language pedagogy It is concluded that despite the extensive discussions on the role of students’ first language culture for EIL learners, English textbooks and classrooms continue to rely on the target culture and ignore the students’ own culture. Therefore, EIL has yet to be fully incorporated language education despite extensive studies that have been conducted on its role.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-422
Author(s):  
María Del Pilar García Mayo ◽  
M. Juncal Gutierrez-Mangado

The early introduction of foreign languages, mainly English, in pre-primary and primary education in different parts of the world is an undisputable fact in today’s world, as clearly illustrated in Enever (2018). One of the reasons for this educational change is the belief in “the earlier the better” notion, which has already been shown not to hold true when linguistic outcomes are assessed in foreign language settings (see García Mayo & García Lecumberri, 2003; Huang, 2015). Age is just one variable among many others that need to be taken into account when assessing child language learning in educational contexts (see Butler, 2019), and that is the reason why more research on identifying those other variables is necessary.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sugeng Susilo Adi

The composition of English language learning tools for middle schools has often not utilized the instrctional technology approach and only used approaches related to the educational discipline of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). English language learning materials in several middle schools in East Java also do not provide audio media-based activities for practice of listening skills. This article is the research results of the Borg & Gall research and development model which aimed to develop, validate, and test textual learning materials aided by audio recordings to develop the English-language competency of middle school students. The results of the development showed that audio media was proven to be e ectively capable as sca olds that play a role as learning aids. Audio media provides sound input that guides students to imitate the audio with accurate pronunciation. In addition, audio media input can also be comprehensible for students in accordance with the Input Hypothesis Theory of Krashen that states that those learning languages at “level i” should obtain comprehensible input at “level i + 1” or slightly higher than the current level, and this theory of Krashen is identical to the zone of proximal development (ZPD) theory of Vygotsky. This development also resulted in a learning design which applied the audio lingual communicative (ALC) strategy which is eclectic in its combination of two language learning strategies, which are the audio lingual method with communicative language teaching (CLT). The application of this method was appropriate with the Indonesian classroom context where the number of students in a classroom is on average 40 pupils or more. AbstrakPengembangan bahan ajar Bahasa Inggris untuk sekolah menengah pertama selama ini sering kali tidak menggunakan pendekatan teknologi pembelajaran dan hanya menggunakan pendekatan disiplin ilmu pendidikan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing atau teaching English as a foreign language/TEFL. Selain bahan ajar bahasa Inggris di beberapa sekolah menengah pertama di Jawa Timur tidak menyediakan bahan penyerta berupa media audio untuk latihan keterampilan menyimak (listening). Penelitian ini adalah penelitian pengembangan (R&D) model Borg & Gall yang bertujuan untuk mengembangan, memvalidasi, dan menguji bahan ajar tekstual berbantuan rekaman audio untuk meningkatkan kompetensi bahasa Inggris siswa sekolah menengah pertama. Hasil pengembangan ini menunjukkan bahwa media audio telah terbukti mampu secara efektif menjadi sca olds yang berperan sebagai bantuan belajar. Media audio menyediakan input suara yang memandu siswa menirukan audio dengan akurasi pelafalan yang tepat. Selain itu, input dari media audio dapat dipahami (comprehensible) bagi siswa, sesuai dengan Input Hyphothesis Theory Krashen yang menyatakan bahwa mereka yang belajar bahasa yang berada pada “tingkat i” seharusnya memperoleh comprehensible input pada “tingkat i + 1” atau sedikit lebih tinggi dari tingkat ia berada yang identik dengan teori zone of proximal development (ZPD) yang dikembangkan Vygotsky. Pengem- bangan ini juga menghasilkan desain pembelajaran yang menerapkan strategi audio lingual communicative (ALC) yang bersifat eklektik yang memadukan dua pendekatan pembelajaran bahasa, yaitu audio lingual method dengan communicative language teaching (CLT). Penerapan metode ini sesuai dengan konteks kelas Indonesia dengan jumlah siswa rata-rata 40 orang atau lebih dalam satu kelas. ia dengan jumlah siswa rata-rata 40 orang atau lebih dalam satu kelas.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 2319-2324
Author(s):  
Rina Muka ◽  
Irida Hoti

The language acquired from the childhood is the language spoken in the family and in the place of living. This language is different from one pupil to another, because of their social, economical conditions. By starting the school the pupil faces first the ABC book and then in the second grade Albanian language learning through the Albanian language textbook. By learning Albanian language step by step focused on Reading, Writing, Speaking and Grammar the pupil is able to start learning the second language on the next years of schooling. So, the second language learning in Albanian schools is related to the first language learning (mother tongue), since the early years in primary school. In our schools, the second language (English, Italian) starts in the third grade of the elementary class. On the third grade isn’t taught grammar but the pupil is directed toward the correct usage of the language. The textbooks are structured in developing the pupil’s critical thinking. The textbooks are fully illustrated and with attractive and educative lessons adequate to the age of the pupils. This comparative study will reflect some important aspects of language learning in Albanian schools (focused on Albanian language - first language and English language - second language), grade 3-6. Our point of view in this paper will show not only the diversity of the themes, the lines and the sub-lines but also the level of language knowledge acquired at each level of education. First, the study will focus on some important issues in comparing Albanian and English language texts as well as those which make them different: chronology and topics retaken from one level of education to another, so by conception of linear and chronological order will be shown comparatively two learned languages (mother tongue and second language). By knowing and learning well mother tongue will be easier for the pupil the foreign language learning. The foreign language (as a learning curriculum) aims to provide students with the skills of using foreign language written and spoken to enable the literature to recognize the achievements of advanced world science and technology that are in the interest of developing our technique. Secondly, the study will be based on the extent of grammatical knowledge, their integration with 'Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing' as well as the inclusion of language games and their role in language learning. The first and second language learning in Albanian schools (grade III-VI) is based on similar principles for the linearity and chronology of grammatical knowledge integrated with listening, reading, writing and speaking. The different structure of both books help the pupils integrate and use correctly both languages. In the end of the sixth grade, the pupils have good knowledge of mother tongue and the second language and are able to write and speak well both languages.


Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 228-235
Author(s):  
Paul J. Moore ◽  
Phil Murphy ◽  
Luann Pascucci ◽  
Scott Sustenance

This paper reports on an ongoing study into the affordances of free online machine translation for students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at the tertiary level in Japan. The researchers are currently collecting data from a questionnaire, task performance, and interviews with 10-15 EFL learners in an English Language Institute in a university in Japan. The paper provides some background on the changing role of translation in language learning theory and pedagogy, before focusing literature related to technical developments in machine translation technology, and its application to foreign language learning. An overview of the research methodology is provided, along with some insights into potential findings. Findings will be presented in subsequent publications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Rafael Darque Pinto ◽  
Bruno Peixoto ◽  
Miguel Melo ◽  
Luciana Cabral ◽  
Maximino Bessa

Virtual reality has shown to have great potential as an educational tool when it comes to new learning methods. With the growth and dissemination of this technology, there is a massive opportunity for teachers to add this technology to their methods of teaching a second/foreign language, since students keep showing a growing interest in new technologies. This systematic review of empirical research aims at understanding whether the use of gaming strategies in virtual reality is beneficial for the learning of a second/foreign language or not. Results show that more than half of the articles proved that virtual reality technologies with gaming strategies can be used to learn a foreign language. It was also found that “learning” was the most evaluated dependent variable among the chosen records, augmented reality was the leading technology used, primary education and lower secondary was the most researched school stages, and the most used language to evaluate the use of gamified technology was by far the English language. Given the lack of directed investigation, it is recommended to use these technologies to support second language learning and not entirely replace traditional approaches. A research agenda is also proposed by the authors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-193
Author(s):  
Huma Hyder

Progressive Globalization established the necessity of workforce to possess excellent communication skills in multiple languages. Areas such as tourism, trade, media, technology, science, and others use common languages. However, countries like China, South Korea, and so forth discussed the need to teach one foreign language at primary as well as secondary school level and hence developed education policies that focused on teaching English as a foreign language or second language. Some countries like Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and India already have English language as a second official language. Hence, English Language Education was considered as second foreign language which was accepted and now it is considered as a symbol of aspiring quality education in a national as well as international perspective. In 21st century, English is considered as an international link language which is been widely accepted by people across the world. Although, English language has a historical heritage of British Empire, it is best used to develop an individual’s cultural, technological, scientific and material needs that competes with the society. It is believed that language learning is not just acquiring the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Language learning is also about the language competence and the ways communicative competence has been applied in an integrated manner. English language learning is not just an educational issue, it also addresses the issues of the society, national development, and personal advancement. In the present scenario, English Language acquired an inclusive place in most of the societies, especially in India. As a result, English Medium Schools have gained immense popularity which responds to aspiration of the people. This paper tries to present the significance of English as a Second language. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the significant pedagogies or methodologies used in schools to teach English as English language plays a crucial role in the education sector.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Bozorgian

Current English-as-a-second and foreign-language (ESL/EFL) research has encouraged to treat each communicative macroskill separately due to space constraint, but the interrelationship among these skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) is not paid due attention. This study attempts to examine first the existing relationship among the four dominant skills, second the potential impact of reading background on the overall language proficiency, and finally the relationship between listening and overall language proficiency as listening is considered an overlooked/passive skill in the pedagogy of the second/foreign language classroom. However, the literature in language learning has revealed that listening skill has salient importance in both first and second language learning. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of each of four skills in EFL learning and their existing interrelationships in an EFL setting. The outcome of 701 Iranian applicants undertaking International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in Tehran demonstrates that all communicative macroskills have varied correlations from moderate (reading and writing) to high (listening and reading). The findings also show that the applicants’ reading history assisted them in better performing at high stakes tests, and what is more, listening skill was strongly correlated with the overall language proficiency.


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