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Kindergarteners Temperament and Cortisol Response to Structured English Immersion (SEI) Programs in Taiwan
This study examines whether the levels of cortisol, a major stress hormone, in kindergarteners are associated with structured English immersion (SEI) in relation to children’s individual differences in temperament. Cortisol levels of 129 kindergarteners (68 boys and 61 girls; 47 in SEI and 82 in non-SEI; mean age=5.30 years) were studied…
Integrating the Teaching of Language As and For Communication in the EFL Reading Class: A Case Study
This case study reports an investigation carried out by two EFL teachers at a secondary school in Argentina. The aim of this work is to classify the properties differentiating the teaching of language as communication from the teaching of language for communication (as presented by Widdowson, 1980).
Online Instruction and Creative Writing by Saudi EFL Freshman Students
This study shows how online courses encouraged non-native freshman students to write poems and short stories in English as a foreign language. The 38 creative writers were enrolled in writing, grammar, vocabulary and reading courses that the author taught over 6 semesters.
A Task-Based Curriculum for Homestay Students
This paper outlines a task-based approach to curriculum design in a homestay program. In an L2 environment, a task-based approach offers the advantage of better approximating the way languages are actually learned, as well as the opportunity to tailor specific tasks to program goals and student needs.
Developing EFL learners’ intercultural communicative competence: A gap to be filled?
As English has become an international language, teaching for linguistic competence cannot be separated from teaching for intercultural competence. However, intercultural communication has not been paid due attention to in English language teaching (ELT) in Vietnam.
Motivation among Learners of English in the Secondary Schools in the Eastern Coast of the UAE
Everybody needs to have motivation and a reason for action. Second and foreign language learners should be offered the opportunity to be motivated and fulfill their learning orientations. The purpose of this study is to examine the student’s integrative and instrumental motivation for learning English in the UAE state secondary schools. Additionally, the study aims to recognize the factors affecting the student’s motivation. One hundred students participated in completing a questionnaire reflecting their orientations for learning English and what affects negatively their English learning motivation. Follow up interviews with 20 students, 10 Arab English teachers as well as 3 supervisors were conducted to deepen understanding and interpretation of the results.
A survey of tertiary teachers’ beliefs about English Language Teaching in Indonesia with regard to the role of English as a global language
Its role as an international lingua franca makes English a unique language in the world. The fact that English is mostly used worldwide among people for whom it is a second or foreign language is an indicator of such uniqueness. This distinctiveness does not only refer to the language itself, but also to the ways it is taught as a foreign language. Some of the pedagogical principles that have informed foreign language teaching in the last few decades, that is, need to be reconsidered when the language taught is English.
Cultivating a Reading Habit: Silent Reading at School
In most EFL settings, reading is seen as related to language subjects only. Students rarely read for pleasure; they think that reading is part of the textbook-related activity. With the implementation of an extensive reading scheme and school-based assessment, students in Hong Kong begin to see reading a little differently.
Evaluation of EFL Materials Taught at Iranian Public High Schools
This article evaluates four EFL textbooks which have been prescribed for use in the Iranian high schools by the Ministry of Education. The merits and demerits of the textbooks are discussed in detail with reference to 13 common criterial features extracted from different materials evaluation checklists.
