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Op Ed
From time to time we will present an Editorial Opinion written by one of the editorial staff or from selected submissions.
The field of SLA is rapidly changing. New theories are emerging that call into question well tried and tested beliefs. This forum allows Opinions to freely explore this changing area of Academic Study.
Integrating a Methodology Component into a Language Improvement Course at Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata
Many future non-native teachers of English around the world, and specifically in Argentina, express a strong desire to meet one of their most pressing needs: improve their command of English so that they can perform with greater confidence in their classrooms.
Localizing Team-Teaching Research
This study discusses the methodologies of recent team-teaching research conducted in Japan and puts forward a proposal for qualitative, interview-based research at the local level. Among the previous studies undertaken, various significant procedural and interpretative problems have been outlined in both quantitative and qualitative studies.
A Teacher Diary Experience
In this article, David Jeffrey shares his personal experience of undertaking a teacher diary study that led to an awareness of the need to promote and internalise the ownership of international English among his students.
A Study on Cross-cultural Barriers in Reading of English
This paper will examine the cross-cultural difficulties in the process of English reading in three aspects: what the main difficulties are in reading, why these difficulties exist and how to reduce and eliminate them to achieve the exact comprehension.
Language learning and awareness of personality type in Chinese settings
In order to provide successful instruction, teachers need to learn to identify and understand their students’ individual differences. A feature of individual differences, which enters almost every area of life is that of personality type. This can be assessed with an instrument know as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (Briggs Myers, 1998).
CHARACTER OR CULTURE? IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CULTURALLY DIVERSE CLASSROOM
“Why would you expect countries that have entirely different histories, located in entirely different climates, different geographies – why would you expect those countries to develop exactly the same mix of skills to exactly the same degree?
General English coursebooks and their place in an ESAP* programme
This piece seeks briefly to outline why mass-produced ELT coursebooks are inappropriate for anything other than broad-based language programmes . It was originally written as an argument in support of the introduction an outcomes-based ESAP curriculum in a tertiary education establishment in the Middle East.
How Learners from Different Cultural Backgrounds Learn a Foreign Language
The students learning strategies, as has been reported by some research undertaken, have powerful impact on the students learning outcome. The study reported here tries to focus on how the learners from different cultural background learn a foreign language using their language learning strategies.
Culture and Classroom Communication: A Case Study of Asian Students in New Zealand Language Schools
This paper reports findings of a qualitative study conducted from December 2002 to March 2003 at two New Zealand English language schools. Forty Asian students participated in the survey. The study reveals that, in spite of the positive learning experiences in the schools, there also exists a significant mismatch with Asian students’ learning expectations.
