Tellers, Makers, and Holders of Stories: A Micro-Analytic Understanding of Students’ Identity Work in Drama-based Adult ESL Classrooms

Despite a wide-spread pedagogical interest and scholarly conviction in the possibilities of educational drama for creating more contextually-situated, engaging, and multi-modal L2 learning experiences (Piazzoli, 2018; Stinson & Winston, 2011), there is scarce empirical evidence concerning what is actually taking place interactionally in L2 classrooms for adults. This article presents a bottom-up microanalysis of classroom interaction in an ESL class in Canada with over 16 adult learners designed to explore the potential and actual impact of educational drama on classroom discourse and students’ L2 learning experiences. Using a discourse analytic approach (Antaki & Widdicombe, 1998; Goffman, 1981), I analyze the dynamic identity work of the class participants. The article presents empirically-grounded research findings that illustrate instances of interaction in and through which drama-based ESL pedagogy contributes to the development of dialogic and democratic classroom discourse and fosters a transformative empowering interpersonal space (Cummins, 2011).

A Study on APSACS Karachi Zone ESL Teachers’ Notion About Assessment and Its Numerous Employment in English Pedagogy

Research work regarding to teacher’s cognition, basically, bring into light teachers’ perception, what they know and how they believe. To comprehend teachers’ perceptional structure, it is indispensible as it interlinks to their directional practices in ESL teaching domain. With regards to assessment, teachers’ cognition constitutes a vital and integral research field in two perspectives: understandability of ESL teachers’ belief and practices and their needs in assessments region. This study delves the aim of assessment in ESL classes under four main regimes: (1) summative assessment, (2) formative assessment, (3) students’ self-assessment, and (4) assessment to meliorate teachers’ direction. It also delves to probe ESL teachers’ notions about the assessments’ employment in ESL pedagogy. It also demonstrates that how teachers’ notions interconnect to their KG to HSSC level in teaching English. 35 Pakistani ESL teachers who work at APSACS Junior, Senior and College wings in Karachi Zone. To collect the data, 18-Likert scale questionnaire is employed. Outcomes of study bring out that the participants’ belief on assessment is impregnable on assessments’ employment regarding to formative purposes. On the secondary level, self-assessment procedures and techniques are given significance. From KG to HSSC level, participant teachers have no influence on participants’ assessment predilections. Data collection tool is also a significant contribution to the literature; besides the vital findings it has produced.

“INSPIRATION AND SUCCESS FOR ALL LEARNERS”: HOW DO VIETNAMESE EFL SCHOOL TEACHERS PERCEIVE THEIR ROLES AND WHAT STYLE OF TEACHER ARE THEY IN THE ERA OF INDUSTRY 4.0?

This research is an attempt to highlight how Vietnamese EFL school teachers perceive theirroles and what style of teacher they are in this current changing world – the world of Industry 4.0. Thestudy involved a sample of 300 Vietnamese EFL school teachers throughout Vietnam. The instrumentsemployed for the research were three questionnaires intended to explore different aspects of EFL teachers’ perception of their roles. The data collected were analyzed quantitatively and were discussed in some detail. The research brought to light a number of significant findings of which five are prominent: (i) Vietnamese EFL school teachers displayed a relatively good understanding in identifying what roles are of traditional teacher style (TTS) and what roles are of modern teacher style (MTS); (ii) they rated as high and medium most of the roles of the TTS and reported having performed most of them; (iii) they rated as low some of the roles of the TTS but still kept on performing them; (iv) they rated as very high, high and medium most of the roles of the MTS, but only 2/3 of them were reported having been performed; and (v) they rated as medium many of the remaining roles of the MTS which belong to what has commonly been referred to in modern EFL/ESL pedagogy as the learner-centred approach in communicative language teaching (CLT), but the number of these roles reported having been performed were very modest. Based on the interwoven information obtained from the three questionnaires, it was suggested that although the era of Industry 4.0 is a reality, many of the Vietnamese EFL school teachers seem to be on the traditional side of the traditional ↔ modern teacher style scale. It is recommended that teacher role should be a legitimate component in all EFL teacher training and teacher professional development (PD) programmes in English teacher education departments/faculties in Vietnam to help EFL teachers be better familiarized with their roles, particularly those required in modern EFL/ESL education, so that they can perform their roles more effectively and more appropriately in their teaching for the success of their students as they move along their “journey of learning” (Pullias & Young, 1968: 32) a new means of communication.

MEETING DIVERSITY IN ESL CLASSROOM: A PEDAGOGICAL MODEL FOR A GLOBALIZED MILIEU

Globalization demands dynamism in English as a Second Language (ESL) pedagogy to address the needs of students from diverse cultural, educational and linguistic backgrounds. Students hailing from different countries with varied levels of English proficiency present a serious challenge to instructors. The challenge to meet the needs of diverse students from Afghanistan and Pakistan, for instance, within the same teaching faculty, prompted this study. It attempts to explore Afghan and Pakistani students’ expectations of the first module of English introduced at undergraduate level, i.e., English Comprehension and Composition (ECC) at a Pakistani university, by applying the Expectancy Disconfirmation Model of Satisfaction (Oliver 2015,120). Students’ expectations have been a neglected area of research despite being a significant factor in behavior and performance. This study aims to find out how far the Pakistani and Afghan students’ expectations have been met with Negative Disconfirmation (non-fulfillment), Zero Disconfirmation (fulfillment) or Positive Disconfirmation (enhanced fulfillment). The findings reveal that the Afghan students were enrolled in the Pakistani university as a result of a mutual agreement between the Pakistani and Afghan governments under the Higher Education Commission (HEC)scholarship “Award of 3000 Scholarships to Students from Afghanistan under the Prime Minister’s Directive” had concerns with the advanced level grammar and reading exercises, while Pakistani students complained about insufficient class time, consecutive lectures and lack of adequate practice provided in the classroom. The study suggests a pedagogical framework for the students focusing on Contextualized Task Based Language Teaching (CTBLT) method in combination with Input-oriented approach for the desired academic outputmentioned in the objectives of the course/module.

Somali High School English Language Learners in Difference Blindness

This study investigated how five Somali high school immigrant students who were English language learners at a predominantly white high school perceived the mainstream teachers' teaching. The findings reveal that the participants were not accommodated, not given support, and rejected by the mainstream teachers who lacked appropriate training in second language acquisition theories and ESL pedagogy and who endorsed difference blindness. The teachers also ignored and sanctioned any differences the participants brought to school. The teachers' practices ironically resulted in emphasizing differences instead of minimizing, and ultimately caused the participants to feel stigmatized, racialized, and marginalized.

Somali High School English Language Learners in Difference Blindness

This study investigated how five Somali high school immigrant students who were English language learners at a predominantly white high school perceived the mainstream teachers' teaching. The findings reveal that the participants were not accommodated, not given support, and rejected by the mainstream teachers who lacked appropriate training in second language acquisition theories and ESL pedagogy and who endorsed difference blindness. The teachers also ignored and sanctioned any differences the participants brought to school. The teachers' practices ironically resulted in emphasizing differences instead of minimizing, and ultimately caused the participants to feel stigmatized, racialized, and marginalized.

Communicative Language Teaching in Indonesia: Issues of Theoretical Assumptions and Challenges in the Classroom Practice

Trying to keep abreast to recent development in ESL pedagogy, Indonesian Government in this case Ministry of National Education has for the past two decades been trying to reform English instruction at the junior and senior high schools across the country. This article describes the issues surrounding the reform initiative and the response the system has made to address the issues. The existing, problematic conditions are delineated and possible ways for improvement are then put forth.