Volume 8 Issue 1
ESP Project Work: Preparing Learners for the Workplace
Language acquisition is believed to be most effectively facilitated if it is embedded within the learners’ field of study or work. This paper describes a learner-centred activity which aims to help learners develop qualities of confidence, initiative and responsibility through interacting with practitioners at the workplace. This activity is one of the activities conducted in an English for Specific Purposes programme of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia which adopts an enculturation approach in the curriculum of the English language training programme.
The Impact of Foreign Asian Students in Japanese University EFL Classrooms
This study examines the effects and implications of inviting foreign Asian students to Japanese university EFL classes. Foreign students invited to EFL classes are defined here as a possible source of a “real audience” which is characterized by having a real information gap.
Language Teaching: State of the Art
In its lifetime, the profession of language teaching has undergone many changes. Early attempts at language teaching almost entirely lacked a theoretical base. In the 20th century, however, two sets of language teaching methods emerged…
The Cultural and Economic Politics of English Language Teaching in Sultanate of Oman
English language teaching (ELT) has been an important global activity and a large business and industry for the past five decades or so. This has been concurrent with the international role English language has been playing on the world arena in the postcolonial/neocolonial age dominated by USA. This paper, hence, triangulates data from different official texts and the pertinent literature.
Paradigm Lost? A Belated Reply to Jarvis and Atsilarat from Japan
This submission examines and challenges the preconceived and often ill-informed notions held by instructors of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in many Asian settings. It was Jarvis and Atsilarat’s earlier publication in Asian EFL Journal, which took issue with the suitability of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) methodology for the Asian context, that prompted this undertaking of a reflective review of the literature coupled with our own research.
Exploring EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Task-Based Language Teaching: A Case Study of Korean Secondary School Classroom Practice
The purpose of this study is to explore EFL teachers’ perceptions of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in a Korean secondary school context. The data for this study were collected through questionnaires from a total of 228 teachers at 38 different middle and high schools in Korea.
Apologies Across Cultures: An Analysis of Intercultural Communication Problems Raised in the Ehime Maru Incident
This paper describes in detail an example of a failed intercultural communication and offers a teaching procedure to help students cope with culture’s impact on language. Using the 2001 accident involving the sinking of the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fisheries high school training boat…
EFL Instruction and Assessment with Portfolios: A Case Study in Taiwan
As the reform movements continue to sweep across the educational landscape in Taiwan, educators and practitioners are exploring and attempting new and innovative practices in the classroom. Of all non-traditional approaches to instruction and assessment, portfolio use seems to show the greatest promise in enhancing diverse dimensions of learning and developing multiple intelligences as well as promoting learner autonomy.
Semantically Acceptable Scoring Procedures (SEMAC) Versus Exact Replacement Scoring Methods (ERS) For ‘Cloze’ Tests: A Case Study
It has been suggested by a number of theorists that a semantically acceptable scoring procedure (SEMAC) is preferable to an exact replacement scoring method (ERS) for ‘Cloze’ tests. They argue that the SEMAC procedure is fairer for testees and that it provides a better indication of communicative competency and the overall linguistic abilities of ESL/EFL students.
The Influence of Partial English Immersion Programs in Taiwan on Kindergartners’ Perceptions of Chinese and English Languages and Cultures
Many Taiwanese scholars and parents raise concerns about the influences of the partial English immersion programs (EIPs), indicating EIPs might lead children to devalue their Chinese language (L1) and Chinese culture (C1), and favor English (L2) and Western culture (C2). This study explores whether a typical partial English immersion program leads children to devalue their L1 and C1.
