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1 – 10 of 948Soha Kalantari and Sholeh Kolahi
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between novice and experienced English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ reflective teaching, and their burnout.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between novice and experienced English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ reflective teaching, and their burnout.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants who took part in this study included 158 (78 novice/80 experienced) EFL teachers of different ages (22-50) and teaching experience (1-25) from Tehran and Hamedan. They completed the English Language Teacher Reflective Inventory developed by Akbari et al. (2010), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator’s Survey developed by Maslach et al. (1996). The participants were selected via convenience sampling.
Findings
The results of two separate Pearson product-moment coefficients revealed that reflective teaching had a significant negative relationship with both novice and experienced EFL teachers’ burnout. Furthermore, the results of two separate regressions indicated that reflective teaching was a significant predictor of both novice and experienced EFL teachers’ burnout.
Originality/value
The findings of this study can help teacher educators and curriculum developers grasp a better picture of novice and experienced EFL instructors’ means of professional development (i.e. reflective teaching) and its relationship with educational and practical aspects of their career (i.e. burnout).
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Marlon Sipe and Reynaldo Gacho Segumpan
English, the lingua franca of the world, permeates a global teaching-learning space not only for communication per se but also as a medium of instruction and social interaction…
Abstract
Purpose
English, the lingua franca of the world, permeates a global teaching-learning space not only for communication per se but also as a medium of instruction and social interaction. The authors studied the lived experiences of five English-speaking university lecturers as regards English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching in a non-English-speaking Asian country.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a phenomenological inquiry and through Zoom interviews, the authors studied the lived experiences of five English-speaking university lecturers as regards EFL teaching in a non-English-speaking Asian country.
Findings
Thematic analyses guided the authors' understanding of the participants’ lived experiences in the classroom, such as the following: (1) Local students have a negative perception of EFL; (2) lecturers’ professional standards are hardly imposed and (3) local students have a mixed level of English proficiency. The authors also examined the participants’ lived experiences in the organization, where the following issues surfaced: (1) sending of communication messages beyond working hours, (2) bureaucratic working environment and (3) changing of policies.
Practical implications
The authors' research implies the need for programs and policies that will help EFL teachers deal with instructional and other socio-cultural challenges in an Asian context.
Originality/value
In the Asian setting, there is a dearth of literature that focuses on the experience of university lecturers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), in particular, their teaching challenges. The authors confronted this gap by understanding the local beliefs about EFL teaching among English-speaking university lecturers.
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Omid Rezaei, Mehrdad Vasheghani Farahani and Fatemeh Musaei Sejzehei
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible relationship between novice vs experienced EFLs teachers’ Big Five personality traits, ambiguity tolerance and risk…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible relationship between novice vs experienced EFLs teachers’ Big Five personality traits, ambiguity tolerance and risk taking. To this purpose, 30 teachers of TEFL courses were randomly selected, and three instruments of NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Ambiguity Tolerance Scale and Risk-taking Propensity Measure were employed to measure their Big Five personality traits, their ambiguity tolerance and risk taking, respectively.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was a quantitative ex post facto study. The first phase of the study was to investigate the relationship among variables of the study. On the other hand, the second phase of the study examined the impact of experience of teachers on their risk taking and ambiguity tolerance.
Findings
The results showed that the more experienced the teachers are, the less risk they take and the more ambiguity tolerant they are. On the other hand, the less experienced the teachers are, the more risk they will take and the less they can tolerate ambiguity. The findings of this research can have useful implications for teacher training programs as well as teaching practices.
Originality/value
This study can add to the circle of knowledge and enhance theoretical assumptions of the field. Moreover, considering the Iranian context, a few studies have focused on the importance of uncovering relationship between five big personality traits and teachers’ personality factors. Therefore, this study is an attempt to investigate the relationship between the Big Five personality traits of teachers and their ambiguity tolerance and risk taking.
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Hamidreza Hashemi Moghadam, Seyyed Mohammad Reza Adel, Saeed Ghaniabadi and Seyyed Mohammad Reza Amirian
Informed by the Bourdieusian construct of the social field, the purpose of this paper is to explore how different aspects of the educational field and the sub-field of English…
Abstract
Purpose
Informed by the Bourdieusian construct of the social field, the purpose of this paper is to explore how different aspects of the educational field and the sub-field of English language teaching in Iran influence diverse components of the professional identity of high school EFL teachers. To this aim, the impact of the power hierarchization structure, distribution of capitals and field autonomy, as important aspects of the social field theory, is investigated in relation to Iranian EFL teachers’ professional identity construction.
Design/methodology/approach
Van Manen’s (1990) hermeneutic phenomenological research method was adopted to analyze the data obtained through the semi-structured interviews and reflexive journals from 15 Iranian EFL teachers at high schools.
Findings
The hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of the data yielded to the extraction of one global, three organizing and six basic themes. The global theme was the educational field and professional identity. The resulting organizing themes were: first, autonomous field and teachers’ commitment; second, asymmetric power relation and teachers’ autonomy; and, finally, cultural capital and teachers’ motivation. This study revealed how the complex and multi-dimensional nature of the power relations between the field of education and power influenced the professional identity of EFL teachers.
Research limitations/implications
This dynamic representation of the inherent complexities of the educational context contributes to a more profound understanding of the role of the micro and macro contextual factors in formulating teachers’ professional identity. The implications of this study are further explained.
Originality/value
Hereby, the authors declare that all the procedures of data collection and analysis have been just done by the researchers.
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English instructors' pragmatic competence (PC) is an aspect of the overall communicative competence forming the basis of language instructors' knowledge. Their knowledge of…
Abstract
Purpose
English instructors' pragmatic competence (PC) is an aspect of the overall communicative competence forming the basis of language instructors' knowledge. Their knowledge of pragmatics should not be overlooked when seeking to understand foreign language learners' communicative ability. This study aims to investigate the pragmatic awareness and teaching practices of non-native EFL instructors with different qualifications and from various cultural backgrounds in Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
To obtain a broader perspective, this study adopted a quantitative research design. An online questionnaire, developed from Ivanova (2018) and Tulgar (2016), was accessed by 320 instructors at one English teaching institute in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information about participants and 12 closed Likert-type questions.
Findings
The data analysis showed that most of the language instructors were aware of PC. However, some variations were evident in their views of the importance of pragmatics in teaching and learning and in their actual pragmatic teaching practices.
Originality/value
This study emphasizes the importance of pragmatic awareness for EFL instructors. It indicates that while non-native English instructors' academic levels and cumulative experience in teaching English play a major role in teaching, instructors have several challenges in teaching pragmatics and promoting students' awareness of pragmatics in this context. For effective second language teaching of pragmatics, instructors, managers and policymakers need to recognize the importance of pragmatics and competencies that students need to develop in EFL contexts.
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This paper explores breakthroughs or ‘lift‐off’ moments in learning involving several teacher/researchers and their students in China. The data come from teaching and research…
Abstract
This paper explores breakthroughs or ‘lift‐off’ moments in learning involving several teacher/researchers and their students in China. The data come from teaching and research situations centring on teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL). An analysis of the language features of the data and their effects explores learning by tracing movement from initial impasses to breakthrough moments, as participants interact, shift ground and discover new learning. Definition of these lift‐off moments and ways of knowing centres in a sense of discovery that pushes learning forward and simultaneously pulls together life experiences in new directions for specific pedagogical insights, self‐assessment and identity conclusions, and recognition of the power of inquiry. In particular, the paper explores the potential contribution of narrative forms of collaborative inquiry in learning, as evident in two contrasting exemplars, the first coconstructed in face‐to‐face interviews or conversational settings, and the second, thesis supervision by the distance learning one‐to‐one format of emailing. These documented interchanges between two Chinese postgraduate EFL teachers and their research coursework teacher and supervisor come from a wide data bank of exemplars collected over many years, and from linguistically diverse contexts.
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Akram Ramezanzadeh, Seyyed Mohammad Reza Adel, Gholamreza Zareian and Mohammad Ghazanfari
The purpose of this paper is to explore Iranian EFL teachers’ and learners’ emotions in the realities of the classroom to investigate how their experience and navigation of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore Iranian EFL teachers’ and learners’ emotions in the realities of the classroom to investigate how their experience and navigation of emotions could provide the opportunity for socially just teaching.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was conducted to probe EFL teachers’ and learners’ emotional experiences. Data were gathered through interviews and observation. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, the researchers analyzed the data through three stages of critical emotional praxis, including identification, reflection, and response.
Findings
Findings of the study revealed that emotions of caring, love, anger, and anxiety were the most dominant emotions among teachers and learners. Also, it was shown that the participants used emotion management, the cultivation of positive emotions, and bodily manipulation in order to change their course of actions and move toward two-way communication whereby they could see and hear each other.
Originality/value
The paper provided a new lens through which socially just teaching can be studies in EFL contexts. Also, the participants of the study consisted of both the teachers and the learners, because the researchers believed in a teacher’s identity as a pedagogy. In this respect, this study can also be considered as different from similar studies conducted on teachers’ emotional identities in the classroom.
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Incorporating flipped learning (FL) into teaching English as a foreign language may improve student learning outcomes. This study gathered information on Saudi EFL teachers'…
Abstract
Purpose
Incorporating flipped learning (FL) into teaching English as a foreign language may improve student learning outcomes. This study gathered information on Saudi EFL teachers' readiness and willingness to apply FL. So, it aims to describe Saudi EFL teachers' readiness and willingness to apply FL in language classrooms and to find suitable guidelines for Saudi EFL professional development (PD) designers to follow.
Design/methodology/approach
This descriptive study involved 153 male and female Saudi EFL teachers as participants, investigating the perspectives and perceptions of these teachers within the context of foreign language teaching in Saudi Arabia. Surveys in Qualtrics were employed as the primary data collection tool for the study.
Findings
Results showed that teachers' self-efficacy of their current teaching was high. Most participants had positive attitudes and abilities related to FL, although they also identified potential challenges related to its engagement and assessment. Teachers expressed a strong willingness to participate in PD in this area, with a preference for online videos and group workshops.
Originality/value
The study emphasizes the importance of PD for Saudi EFL teachers. In addition, it offers guidelines for planning effective PD.
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Anjum Mishu, Hanan Abdullah Mohammed, Sabreen Ahmed A. Hakami and Gaus Chowdhury
This study aims to focus on how online presentations have a positive effect on the anxiety of the students, especially students who are introverted by nature and always suffer…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to focus on how online presentations have a positive effect on the anxiety of the students, especially students who are introverted by nature and always suffer from anxiety and stress while performing face-to-face presentations in the classrooms, which negatively affect students’ performance and, thereby grade.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quantitative research design to obtain a broader perspective. An online questionnaire, developed using Google Forms, was accessed by 239 female undergraduate students from Level 1 to 8 of the English Department at the College of Languages and Translation in King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of 15 closed Likert-type questions. The Arabic translation of the questions was included in the questionnaire to make the participants more comfortable answering the questions as all the participants' L1 is Arabic.
Findings
With the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, COVID-19 became a global health issue and significantly impacted education worldwide. With this, a digital transformation took place, resulting in a total e-learning distance education system. This type of technology enhanced distance learning approach had to be adopted as social and physical contacts were limited globally to mitigate the transmissions of the virus. Accordingly, all lectures, learning activities, tests and other forms of evaluation were conducted via distance e-learning. When oral presentations were conducted online, a new reality emerged in this changed situation. This study sought to prove that online oral presentations positively reduce introvert EFL learners' anxiety and stress.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted using a small number of samples; thus, to gain substantial insight, future research could be conducted with a greater number of samples from diverse demographic backgrounds. Teachers' perceptions of online oral presentations could also be considered in future studies since education consolidates between learners and teachers. In addition, as this research explored English language major students only, further comparative studies can be conducted including students from other disciplines, which may lead to new insights and issues related to online presentations. This study used a questionnaire as a data collection instrument. It is recommended to use qualitative tools such as interviews, focus group meetings, journals and student diaries in future studies so that more information about in-person presentation anxiety can be discovered.
Originality/value
Participants' opinions, procured through the questionnaire of this study, can bring new insights for educators and policymakers to incorporate online presentations as one of the mainstream assessment methods for tertiary-level courses.
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Judy Sharkey and Megan Madigan Peercy
In this chapter, we introduce readers to the volume, a collection of 13 inquiries that employ the methodology of self-study in teacher education practices (S-STEP) in culturally…
Abstract
In this chapter, we introduce readers to the volume, a collection of 13 inquiries that employ the methodology of self-study in teacher education practices (S-STEP) in culturally and linguistically diverse settings across the globe. After sharing the purpose and origins of the project, we provide an overview of the volume’s organization and brief summaries for each study. As a whole, the collection addresses two pressing yet interrelated challenges in teacher education research: understanding teacher educator development over the career span and how these scholar-practitioners prepare teachers for an increasingly diverse, mobile, and plurilingual world.
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