Language Teaching

Imperialism and Gender in J. M. Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians

Shadi S. Neimneh — 2023-02-08

Considering how power relations govern the construction of race and gender, this article looks at the ambivalent relationship between the Magistrate and the "barbarian" girl in J. M. Coetzee's novel Waiting for the Barbarians (1980), exploring intersections between imperialism and gender and negotiating how issues of representation are implicated in questions of identity construction. It highlights how identities inflicted by gender are constructed in imperial discourse: first by the colonizer who speaks the language of power and inscribes on the colonized meanings serving imperialism; second by the humanist colonizer who fails to relate to the other on equal terms except for a position of "feminized" weakness; and third by the resistant colonial subject eluding imperial constructions yet still manipulated in language. Between the discourses of pain and humanism, the colonized body remains a malleable yet impenetrable object of colonial discourses. Coetzee subverts dominant gender boundaries, aligning oppressive patriarchal practices with imperialism while undermining hegemonic ideologies that construct gender through the figure of the enigmatic other.

The Effectiveness of Using Poetry in Developing English Vocabulary, Pronunciation and Motivation of EFL Palestinian Students

Mohammed A A Farrah — 2022-09-19

This study aims at investigating the effectiveness of using poetry in developing English vocabulary, pronunciation and motivation of EFL Palestinian students. The researcher adopted the quantitative method to collect the required data. The researcher used a questionnaire for both students and teachers to examine their attitudes towards using poetry in the language classroom. The participants of the study were both teachers and students from Hebron. The sample of study consisted of 73 female Tenth grade students and 214 English language teachers. One school has been chosen to form the experimental group. The analysis of the post-test revealed that the experimental group has significantly outperformed the control group in both vocabulary and pronunciation competences when they read poetry. Likewise, the results of the questionnaires showed that both teachers and students have positive attitudes towards using poetry in the language classroom as a means for teaching English language. In short, poetry has positive effect on developing the English vocabulary, pronunciation and increasing students’ motivation.

Teachers’ Feedback on a New Variety of English: The Case of Hong Kong English

Ka Long Roy Chan — 2021-05-25

The present short report reveals how teachers of English in Hong Kong (HKTEs) react to Hong Kong English (HKE). By employing a mixed method approach consisting of 100 survey responses and 28 interviews, types of feedback and activities teachers use when they encounter HKE in classroom were recorded and reported. The results showed that the two types of teachers of English – Native and Non-native English speakers – provided different kinds of responses because of the differences in attitude they held toward new varieties of English. The current study potentially sheds light on how different varieties of English could fit in traditional ESL curricula. Further research is warranted on how the feedback may affect English acquisition among Hong Kong students and whether the feedback brings positive or negative effects to the students.

The Perceptions of Saudi English Teachers about their Contribution to the Development of English Curriculum in Saudi Arabia

Lujain Jaza AlSehli — 2021-05-25

The current research investigated the perceptions of Saudi English teachers about their contribution to the development of English curriculum with the Ministry of Education (MOE). Also, this research sought to know the role of Saudi English teachers in developing English curriculum in Saudi Arabia. To obtain teachers’ perceptions, an online questionnaire was designed via google forms with open and close-ended questions along with a Likert scale section. It was shared with the Saudi Faculty of English account on Twitter. The major cause of conducting this research was to raise the awareness of including Saudi English teachers in developing English curriculum, and to make this process as a collaborative effort among various stakeholders and English teachers. The findings indicated the absent role of Saudi teachers and the lack of their involvement in developing English curriculum in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the results showed their willingness to participate and be part of this process.

Glossophobia: The Fear of Public Speaking in ESL Students in Ghana

Solomon Ali Dansieh — 2021-05-21

Glossophobia, an individual’s anxiety of public speaking, has been observed to be a common phenomenon among students. The present study explores factors associated with glossophobia among ESL students of a tertiary institution in Upper-West Ghana, the Dr. Hilla Limann Technical University, Wa and makes recommendations for improvement in their public speaking skills. The study combined both quantitative and qualitative research approaches in an opinion poll involving 46 participants from the Level 300 class of the Secretaryship and Management Studies of the Business School. Participants acknowledged the importance of public speaking, but conceded that at some point in their student lives, when they had to speak in public, glossophobia prevented them from making a good impression on the audience. Speaking English before a crowd was identified as the most dreaded experience. Low self-confidence in speaking in public; lack of constant speaking experience and lack of knowledge in public speaking; fear of making mistakes and being laughed at; inadequate preparation and timidity were also identified as challenges affecting participants’ ability to speak English in public. To help students overcome that phobia, the study recommends that lecturers should adopt an interactive approach combined with the appropriate communication strategies to promote positive attitudes and create the desirable atmosphere for boosting students’ confidence. Lecturers should also organise seminars on public speaking skills and encourage regular individual oral presentation in class so students can practise to develop positive attitudes towards public speaking.

Culture and Pedagogy of MEQs

Junko Winch — 2021-05-05

It is claimed that MEQ is multidimensional and it is complex to agree on what those dimensions are and how they interrelate. The main objective of this study is to investigate the culture and Pedagogy of MEQs. Using four dimensions of cultural framework, the underlying pedagogies for the MEQ was identified. The results of the literature reviews show that the cultures of the MEQ are individualist, weak uncertainty avoidance and small power distance, which indicates the Western concept. It has also uncovered that MEQs interrelates to the concept of motivation and enjoyment. The recommendation is for university to have a permanent MEQ staff to give staff development opportunity on the MEQ pedagogy and culture to improve their quality assurance and accountability. It is also recommended to create MEQ software which incorporates additional quantitative data such as class attendance rates and other descriptive statistics which describe the class (i.e. minimum, maximum and average) to minimise the bias effect of the teaching staff and students and increase validity and reliability of MEQs. This paper may be of use for MEQ designers, teaching staff, quality assurance staff, student experience staff, HR staff and executive board members.