Journal articles on the topic 'English language Study and teaching Foreign speakers Attitudes'

The role of English as an international language (EIL) has prompted scholars to call for a shift in paradigm from teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to teaching English as an international language EIL (Boriboon 2011; Jenkins 2007; Kirkpatrick 2010; McKay 2002; McKay and Bokhorst-Heng 2008). While this view seems practical at a time when English is increasingly being used as a lingua franca, it also calls for a study of people’s perceptions toward different English varieties since people’s attitudes can have a direct impact on educational practices, second-language learning, and identity construction of English speakers. This present study investigates language attitudes of 80 Thai working adults toward native (American and British) and nonnative (Filipino, Singaporean, and Thai) varieties in terms of social status and competence, attractiveness, and linguistic quality through the use of the Verbal Guise Test (VGT) (80 participants) and semistructured interviews (10 participants). The results showed that the dominance of native varieties still prevails as native varieties are perceived more favorably than non-native counterparts in all dimensions, and remain the English accents that Thai speakers of English want to learn and use. The results also indicate that Thai speakers of English aim for certain native-based varieties due to intelligibility, the ownership of English, and identity reasons. Findings suggest the importance of awareness-raising of the diversity of English varieties among Thai speakers of English in order to promote a sense of linguistic tolerance and prepare them for interactions in ELF contexts where English is used as a default language for those whose native language is not shared.

Language education has traditionally been based on native-speakerism, which is defined in the present article, by simplifying Hollidays original definition, as a belief in the authority or superiority of native speakers. With the prevalence of native-speakerism, it tends to be taken for granted that non-native speakers should strive to accommodate themselves to native speaker models. However, in todays globalized world, such a conventional attitude is quickly becoming outdated. Above all, a most serious problem with native-speakerism is that it suppresses the freedom of thought and expression as fundamental human rights. Drawing on the case of English as an international language, this study aims to analyze the need for post-native-speakerism (a term attributed to Houghton and Hashimoto) in language teaching, or the need for relativizing native speaker norms for language learners. After illustrating major issues of native-speakerism, three theoretical paradigms for post-native-speakerism in global Englishes are presented, namely EIL (English as an International Language), WE (World Englishes), and ELF (English as a Lingua Franca), along with a prospect for integrating those different frameworks especially for pedagogical purposes. Then, educational objectives are summarized in terms of language skills, followed by the authors own examples of teaching methodologies and actual classroom practices in higher education. Several key concepts for EIL education emerge from these pedagogical efforts, including authenticity and critical literacy. In view of the urge to embrace diversity in the world today, this paper argues that post-native-speakerism is of vital importance as it allows language users to express their true selves in global communication. While many of the discussions in the present article stem from linguacultural and educational situations in Japan, it is assumed that the insights should often be applicable also to other Expanding Circle, or EFL (English as a Foreign Language), countries such as Russia and China.

Modern graduates face major challenges in the international job market where knowledge of English and other foreign languages became one of the most important requirements of a well-trained professional. Even though the demands of such candidates increase, the methodology of teaching English remains the same. Modern educators and students demand the inclusion of the first language in their English as a Foreign Language classrooms, yet still, this method is considered controversial. Previous research generated ambiguous and inconclusive findings that the current study tries to re-explore. This study aims to find out the a) students’ attitude towards implementing their first language in English as a Foreign Language classes; b) how these attitudes can be related to their proficiency levels; c) the potential purposes of using the first language in the English language classrooms; and d) if teachers support using a bilingual approach in their classrooms. The current research uses a mixed-method design by applying a survey filled in by 400 students studying at Al-Balqa Applied University and semi-structured interviews with 5 instructors from the same institute to collect the data needed. The findings recognized that both students and teachers support the situational application of Arabic in the English as a Foreign Language classrooms, especially when it comes to the reading comprehension activities and introducing a new grammar topic or new vocabulary items. The use of the first language has to be proportionate to the level of students’ target language proficiency, as basic English speakers require the inclusion of their first language more often than their advanced counterparts.

This study aimed at discovering the students‟ responses to the implementation of intercultural language learning at the sixth semester students of the English Education Department, University of Singaperbangsa Karawang, Indonesia. The focus of the study was on 1) the students‟ general attitudes toward the course, 2) the students‟ attitudes toward the implementation of teaching and learning and 3) the students‟ responsibility as an intercultural person. This study was designed as a descriptive qualitative study that involved 31 participants. The data were collected through questionnaire and interviews. Based on the findings, the students gave positive responses to the implementation of intercultural language learning and they showed a greater interest in participating in the course. The intercultural language learning also proved that the students were given the opportunity to become intercultural speakers either during the teaching and learning process or in their daily life. Finally, it recommends that the intercultural approach should be implemented by other English teachers in any subject and at all levels of students.Keywords: interculural language learning, intercultural competence, English as a foreign language.

In recent times, at the turn of the 21st century, there have been significant developments in the use of technological advances for teaching languages. Following the use of traditional language laboratories, and then the emergence of computer-assisted forms of language teaching, language-oriented social networks such as YouTube and Facebook and other types of language applications have been used for that purpose, particularly in teaching English. Learners’ attitudes are aroused in significantly different ways compared to feelings about traditional forms of language teaching, including learner-centered approaches. One aim of this paper is to elicit learners’ interest in Internet use and to consider the degree to which social media and language applications enhance in-class formal learning. This study brings forth learners’ digital experience in the use of social media and we argue that it will raise awareness as to the importance of these media in improving their language skills. We thus attempt to explore the extent to which language learners benefit from their out-of-class Internet use. A small-scale survey, based on an online questionnaire addressed to Algerian students of English at Tlemcen University, reveals increasing interest in using such applications and social networks outside the class and their positive attitudes towards English in virtual spaces, particularly when having the possibility of discussing with native speakers. The results also show that communicating with others allows them to share intercultural aspects and mutual understanding. Indeed, respondents’ positive attitudes towards mixed-culture conversation are attention-grabbing and significantly encouraging. However, it is believed that such informal, non-systematic methods of teaching/ learning a foreign language can only complement formal teaching in class with non-virtual teachers.

By reviewing the literature on the development of English language teaching methods in the last three decades, it is obvious that the idea of using the first language (L1) in the second language (L2) classroom has always been controversial. The history of language pedagogy and the role of the first language in foreign language learning generate debates in English as a foreign language. The teaching of English as a foreign language is growing every day in Iran, and as a result, the need for informing the best policy is getting more urgent. The principal intent of the current study, that investigates the use of L1 in the English classroom, is to determine teachers, students and policymakers’ beliefs and attitudes towards the use of L1 in L2 classroom. The L1, in this case, is Farsi language and all the participants are native speakers of Farsi. One hundred and fifty students of the English Language Department at the elementary level at Tehran Institute of Technology are the participants of the study. They are all female and in their late teens or early twenties. The students and the teachers were surveyed by questionnaires and the researcher observed 10 classes and interviewed 3 teachers and 3 policymakers. The information gathered from the questionnaire was submitted to SPSS for analyzing the data, and the information gathered from the interview. Class observation check-list was used to triangulate the findings of the questionnaire. The results of this study indicate that teachers and students have different attitudes towards using L1 in the EFL classes. While students have a positive attitude, teachers have a negative attitude. The main reason mentioned by students for not being against the limited use of Farsi in their English class is that they believe using Farsi even in a limited sense can help them to understand difficult concepts. However, teachers believe in an English-only policy to be more exposed to the English language. Another finding of this study is that the functions of using Farsi by students or teachers in EFL classroom are: for explaining difficult parts, for managing the classroom, for explaining exam instructions, for explaining the two language differences, for checking comprehension, for seeking help from others, for joking with others, for making students relaxed and for presenting the meaning of new words. Given these findings, to match the student’s and teachers’/policymakers’ ideas about using L1 at the elementary level, an EFL teaching methodology that considers the use of Farsi, even in a limited way, is suggested.

This small scale, quantitatively based, research study aimed at exploring one of the most debated areas in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL); and that is, the perceptions and attitudes of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers as well as EFL learners at an English Language Institute (ELI) at a major university in the Western region of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz University, towards second language writing assessment. The research study involved, randomly selected twenty-two EFL teachers and seventy-eight EFL students between the period of September 2016 and December 2016. Two, purposefully designed, twenty-item, Likert scale questionnaires were distributed amongst the teachers and students. One for the participating EFL teachers and one for the participating EFL students. Data analysis using descriptive statistical methods indicated several concerns which EFL teachers and students have with regards to the writing assessment in general and to the obstacles EFL teachers face when teaching and assessing writing. In addition, there was an indication of general resentments and strong feelings amongst the EFL students where the majority indicated that they are sometimes graded unfairly and writing assessment should take another, more holistic approach rather a narrow one. The study makes recommendations for future research.

Intercultural communication competence has recently been established within research and teaching as a key priority within second and foreign language teaching classrooms. More specifically, developing intercultural communication skills fosters students’ intercultural as well as linguistic competence in a way that prepares them to be able to interact with speakers of other languages and from different cultures. A very important component of effective communication is the persuasiveness of the message that is conveyed with a particular aim. In the speakers’ attempt to achieve persuasiveness, they make use of several means which are used to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, feelings and intentions of a person by communicative means, that is, speakers employ several persuasive strategies. This study recorded the persuasive strategies employed by 200 EFL language students (11 years of age) at the A1 language level according to CEFR when using English to communicate with speakers of other languages than Greek with the purpose of recommending an interesting work of literature. As for the analysis of the written communication, it was carried out through the 5R approach which consists of five stages called ‘Investigatory Readings’, in which the researcher stressed certain elements as regards the research hypothesis and a priori goals. This particular approach, written discourse examination, was also used in several studies at the national level, which recorded the communication strategies employed by language students when producing written discourse. The processing and analysis of the results indicated that A1 language level students made use of more rational persuasive strategies such as Authority, Model and Information in their attempt to persuade and influence others. Toward this goal, they appeared to activate this mode of persuasion through assertive speech acts including claims and assurances, which are highly relevant to their goal and the context of the study. Finally, A1 language students seemed to use mainly adjectives, periods and exclamation marks as elements of evaluation in their written discourse attempting to express directly and indirectly the judgement of their proposals.

ow competence in English for the students of Non English native speakers has been crucial so far for the teachers in language teaching in Indonesia. This study attempts to explore students ‗motivation in learning English at STIE Perbanas Surabaya. This is a qualitative research and a case study. This study analyzed the data by means of a descriptive analysis. This method was chosen to describe the qualitative data taken from the students at STIE Perbanas Surabaya who were taking English subject. The data were collected using questionnaire. Some of the students were also interviewed in depth to triangualize the data related to their motivation in learning English. It was found that there are two types of motivation by the students of STIE Perbanas in learning English: intrinsic and extrinsic. They agreed (78%) that they are studying English because it is a compulsory subject in this college. Besides that, they have several factors of motivation affecting the students‘ learning English as foreign language such as local education system, attitudes to the target language, and teacher factor.

Motivation can be considered as one of influential factors in foreign language (FL) learning as it helps to sustain learner’s interest during long and tedious learning process of FL. According to Deci and Ryan (2000), motivation can be categorized into two types; intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The present study aims to investigate intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors of a group of university students in an urban area to learn English. The present study applied a mixed method approach by administering a set of questionnaires and interviews. In addition to a relatively high level of motivation among the participants, the findings of present study show an interest in English language skills and positive attitudes to native speakers of English, English speaking countries, and English learning as intrinsic motivational factors to learn English. On the other hand, the chances of getting better jobs and personal development as extrinsic factors which motivate students to learn English. The present study recommends English teachers as well as educational institutions to provide teaching and learning materials which suited to improve students’ motivation.

The author of the paper studied the experience and attitudes of 30 scholars working at a faculty in Serbia. The results of the questionnaire comply with the findings of much larger linguistic and sociolinguistic studies conducted on the subject in other non-English academic communities. Namely, to achieve personal academic goals and receive international recognition, all respondents are obliged to publish their papers in English. The choice of the publishing language is simple and does not depend on respondent's age, gender, degree of education, scientific field, knowledge of other foreign languages, and English competence. The choice of publishing language is obvious and comes down to English as a lingua franca (ELF) because 93% of scholars questioned consider English the most significant language for their scientific career and research field. Although they all publish their papers in ELF, most of these non-native speakers of English face both linguistic and non-linguistic issues in terms of lack of material resources, access to the latest research and technical problems. However, the bright side of the questionnaire is the finding that as much as 77% of respondents teaching at one faculty in Serbia publish their articles in the national journals in their native language. Thus, it is conclusive that ELF does not represent a threat to the Serbian language which still remains an important channel of publishing. Certainly, it is necessary to conduct a more extensive study on attitudes of a larger number of Serbian scholars regarding publishing in their native language and English, but this sample confirms that ELF is not necessarily a threat to local languages provided that it is regarded as a means of communication between scientists who do not speak the same native language.

AbstrakBahasa Inggris sebagai Lingua Franca (English as a lingua franca-ELF) telah mendapatkan perhatian yang tinggi dalam pengajaran bahasa Inggris tetapi masih kurang diteliti dalam konteks Bahasa Inggris sebagai Bahasa Asing (English as a foreign language-EFL) seperti di Indonesia. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meneliti sikap guru terhadap ELF dan beberapa kemungkinan tantangan dalam memasukkan pengajaran ELF ke dalam praktik pengajaran mereka. Menggunakan metode deskriptif kuantitatif dengan memberikan survei cross-sectional kepada 50 guru EFL di Jakarta, penelitian ini telah menemukan bahwa para guru memiliki sikap positif terhadap penggunaan ELF dalam proses belajar mengajara di konteks EFL Indonesia. Namun, ditemukan juga tidak familiernya guru dengan aksen lain, kesiapan guru, siswa, dan institusi dalam memasukkan pengajaran ELF, menyediakan materi pembelajaran yang sesuai, dan penutur asli sebagai tantangan yang dihadapi dalam memasukkan ELF ke dalam pengajaran mereka. Studi ini menawarkan beberapa saran untuk menjelaskan perkembangan guru dan peningkatan pengajaran ELF dalam konteks Indonesia.Kata kunci: Sikap Guru EFL, Bahasa Inggris sebagai Lingua Franca (EFL), konteks EFL Bahasa Indonesia. AbstractEnglish as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has received increased attention in English teaching but is still less studied in an EFL context like Indonesia. This study aims at investigating teachers’ attitudes toward ELF and some possible challenges in incorporating ELF instruction into their teaching practices. Employing a quantitative descriptive method by administering a cross-sectional survey to 50 EFL teachers in Jakarta, the study revealed that the teachers had a positive attitude towards teaching and learning ELF in the Indonesian EFL context. However, it is also discovered teachers accentuated unfamiliarity with other accents, the readiness of teachers, students, and institutions in incorporating ELF instruction, providing suitable learning materials, and native speakers as challenges encountered in incorporating ELF into their teaching. This study offered several suggestions to shed a light upon teachers’ development and enhancement of teaching ELF in the Indonesian context.Keywords: EFL Teachers’ attitudes, English as a Lingua Franca (EFL), Indonesian EFL context.

Although Thai English has emerged as one variety of World Englishes (Trakulkasemsuk 2012, Saraceni 2015), it has not been enthusiastically embraced by Thai educators, as evidenced in the frustration expressed by ELT practitioners over Thai learners’ difficulties with pronunciation (Noom-ura 2013; Sahatsathatsana, 2017) as well as grammar (Saengboon 2017a). In this study, we examine the perception English instructors have on the different degrees of grammar skills and Thai-oriented English accent. We investigated the acceptability and comprehensibility of both native-Thai and native-English instructors (ten of each), as these subjects listen to controlled passages produced by 4 Thai-English bilingual speakers and another 4 native-Thai speakers. There were 3 types of passage tokens: passages with correct grammar spoken in a near-native English accent, passages with several grammatical mistakes spoken in a near-native English accent, and the last being a Thai-influenced accent with correct grammar. We hypothesized that (1) native-Thai instructors would favor the near-native English accent over correct grammar, (2) native-English instructors would be more sensitive to grammar than a foreign accent, and (3) there is a correlation between acceptability and comprehensibility judgment. The findings conformed to the first hypothesis given that most Thai instructors were tolerant towards the near-native English accent, regardless of grammatical errors. The second hypothesis is rejected since native-English instructors were less tolerant towards both grammatical errors and the foreign accent. The third hypothesis was proved correct, that acceptability correlates with comprehensibility. Our study suggests that English instructors should devote proportionate attention to teaching both pronunciation and grammar. They should also be made aware of the negative attitude against Thai-accented English, so that learners would be treated fairly and without discrimination based on their Thai-influenced accent.

Intercultural Competence Assessment (ICA) has recently become a central issue in applied linguistics in general, and language testing and assessment in particular. The present paper aims to investigate the difference between native and non-native assessment experts’ beliefs about incorporating ICA in the Language Proficiency Assessment (LPA). Basic qualitative research design was employed and questions were emailed to 97 native and non-native language testing and assessment experts of whom 32 participants returned their responses (response rate = 33%). Moreover, 10 of the experts were interviewed to triangulate the data. The data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results demonstrated that there were no significant differences between native experts and non-native experts’ attitudes towards whether ICA should be included in the LPA. Despite this finding, some native speaker experts strongly disagreed with the notion while some other non-native scholars supported it. This study may be helpful to Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) assessment experts who argue for the inclusion of ICA in the LPA, believing that such an inclusion would benefit not only second language proficiency assessment but also efforts in designing more effective instructional syllabuses.

Speaking is a measure of linguistic ability and a fluent speaker is considered as a skilled language learner. In Kurdistan Region of Iraq -KRI, English is taught as a foreign language from elementary to university. However, Kurdish students, even university students, have challenges with speaking English and show their attitudes to speaking as one of the complex skills in language learning. This paper revealed that most learners have personal, linguistic, social, and environmental speaking challegnes. Lack of confidence, insufficient vocabulary, reluctance, nervousness while speaking, fear of making errors, lack of an appropriate setting to practice English, and lack of instructor enthusiasm were major problems of Kurdish students. This study looked at students' speech problems and their reasons. The researchers collected data from 12 second-year students in the National Institute of Technology, in sulaimaniyah city, as an example by adopting a semi-structured interview. The data were collected and analyzed in two significant categories: difficulties and reasons, with three subgroups. The research focused on psychological, social, environmental, interpersonal, and linguistic issues as challaenges of speaking difficulty, instructor and instruction, core curriculum, misuse of mother tongue, insufficient education, and classroom culture as causes of speaking inadequacy. The researchers recommend the development of a positive atmosphere, promoting knowledge acquisition, modifying teaching approaches, and rewriting courses.

The last 2016 issue of Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching includes six papers, five of which are reports of original research projects and one is a conceptual piece. The initial two contributions are concerned with different aspects of pragmatics, both with respect to the teaching of this subsystem and the process of its acquisition. In the first of these, Andrew D. Cohen addresses the crucial issue of how native and non-native teachers of second and foreign languages deal with sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic features in their classes. He reports the findings of an online survey of 113 teachers of different additional languages from across the world, which demonstrated that while there exist many similarities between the native and non-native instructors, the former are often at an advantage, although they by no means confine themselves to reliance on their intuition. In the second, Qiong Li undertakes a synthesis of 26 original longitudinal research studies on naturalistic pragmatic development in adult learners with the purpose of identifying patterns of variation in the acquisition of pragmatic features and providing potential explanations for the occurrence of such variation. The analysis showed that there are differences in the rate of development of various aspects of pragmatics (e.g., speech acts vs. lexical features), which can be accounted for in terms of factors related to the target language (e.g., the frequency of the feature in the input), the situation (e.g., social status) and the learner (e.g., initial knowledge about the target feature). The following two papers shift the emphasis to the role of individual factors in the process of second language acquisition, more specifically the contributions of motivation and willingness to communicate (WTC). Ali Al-Hoorie reports the results of a survey study conducted among 311 young Arabic adult learners of English as a foreign language, providing evidence, somewhat in contrast to much previous research, that achievement in second language learning is a function of implicit attitudes to L2 speakers and L2 learning experience rather than the ought-to self or attachment to the L1 group, with such constructs as the ideal L2 self or intended effort being unrelated to success. The study by Mystkowska-Wiertelak investigated fluctuations in WTC of advanced learners of English during seven conversation classes which she taught over the period of one semester. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data gathered by means of self-assessment girds, interviews, questionnaires and detailed lesson plans indicated that WTC was indeed in a state of flux, both within single lessons and over time, with such changes being attributed to an intricate interplay of contextual and individual factors. The last two contributions focus on the role of critical thinking in foreign language learning. Jelena Bobkina and Svetlana Stefanova present a model of teaching critical thinking skills with the help of literature, arguing that such skills can be fostered through encouraging critical reader response to fictional work embedded in social phenomena as well as illustrating how this model can be applied to classroom practice. In the last paper, Paweł Sobkowiak underscores the interdependence of critical thinking and the development of intercultural competence, discussing the findings of a study of 20 coursebooks used in the Polish contexts and concluding that activities used in these coursebooks fall short of achieving either goal. As always, I am confident that all of the papers included in the present issue will provide food for thought to the readers and serve as a springboard for future empirical investigations that will help us better understand the exceedingly complex processes of second language learning and teaching.

English for specific purposes (ESP) is suggested here as one possible direction in English education programmes for prospective nursery school teachers. ESP refers to the teaching of English as it relates to a particular field of study as needed by a specific group of students. In Japan, several studies on ESP (e.g., Terauchi, 2005; Hashimoto, 2000; Miyama, 2000; Yamazaki, 2000; Yoshida, 2000; Sasajima, 2000) have been conducted. This paper further contributes to the ESP literature by focusing on the specific English language needs of students studying to become nursery teachers. Because the number of foreign children at Japanese nursery schools is increasing, nursery school teachers are more likely to be placed in situations where they have to communicate with foreign children and their parents using English (Osuka, 2006). Therefore, as part of this study, a needs analysis was carried out in order to develop a curriculum introducing ESP into the study of early-childhood education. The participants in this study were 52 freshmen majoring in early-childhood education at a private college. The materials used in this study were four questionnaires on preferred English learning styles, based on Kikuchi (2005), desired English skills at college, based on Hayasaka (1995), desired English lessons at college (Carreira, in press), and desired English lessons concerning children (Carreira, in press). Also, open-ended questions were asked. This paper explored the following research questions: 1. What are the preferred English learning styles of students in early-childhood education? How many clusters can be found? 2. What are the desired English skills of students preparing for a career in early-childhood education? Among the clusters, how different are these desired English skills? 3. What kinds of English lessons do students in early-childhood education programmes want to get? Among the clusters, how different are the English lessons they want to get? 4. What kinds of English lessons concerning the teaching of children do the students in early-childhood education programmes want to get? Among the clusters, how different are these English lessons which students want? The results revealed that the participants (a) want teachers to use Japanese in English classes, (b) want teachers to correct all their mistakes immediately, (c) want to learn daily conversation in English, (d) want to understand English in movies and television and radio programs and (e) want to get lessons using English movies and English songs for children. The results can be divided into two groups using cluster analysis; one representing negative attitudes towards English learning and the other representing positive attitudes towards English learning. A t-test was conducted to compare the scores on all the items between the negative attitudes group and the positive attitudes group. The results showed there were significant differences between the two groups. Whereas the negative attitudes group tended to want to learn English using movies and TV programs, the positive attitudes group tended to want to communicate with native English speakers and practice-teach at nursery schools abroad. Therefore, considering students’ needs ESP courses can be introduced in early-childhood education. Suggestions include lessons using movies and TV programs for children and daily English conversation as required subjects, increased communication with native English speakers and practice-teaching at nursery schools abroad as elective subjects. As a future consideration, we should analyze needs for discourse communities and reveal what kinds of English they need in nursery schools after graduation. 本研究では保育士養成課程におけるESPを取り入れたカリキュラムを開発するために，特に，学習者のニーズに焦点をあて，保育士養成課程の学生が英語教育に対してどのような要望や態度を持っているのかを調査した。調査協力者は，私立大学に属する保育士養成課程52名の1年生である。その結果，本研究に参加した学生は日本語での授業を望んでおり，学生同士で英語を話すようなコミュニケーション活動をあまり好まない傾向にあった。また，誤りをすぐに直してくれることを望んでいるが，一方で，厳しい授業や課題が多い授業は望んでいないことが明らかになった。身につけたいと思っている英語の能力においては，多くの学生が海外に行ったときに困らない英語力を身につけたいと思っており，映画やテレビ番組などを使った授業や読解やリスニングのコツを教えてくれる授業を受講したいと思っているようである。さらに，子どもに関係する映画や歌などに興味があることも明らかになった。 また，「消極的」群と「積極的」群の2つのグループに分けた結果，受講したいと思う英語の授業において2つのグループ間にかなりの差がみられた。特に，英語母語話者と英語でコミュニケーションを行う授業や海外での保育園実習，また試験対策の授業などでその差が顕著であった。

Increasing preoccupations and interest manifested for the Romanian language as a foreign language compose a focused and clear expression in the volume “Romanian as a foreign language. Methodology and cultural applicability”, launched at the Turku University publishing house, Finland (2018). The editors, Paul Nanu (Department of Romanian Language and Culture, University of Turku, Finland) and Emilia Ivancu (Department of Romanian Studies of the Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań, Poland) with this volume, continue a series of activities dedicated to the promotion of the Romanian language and culture outside the country borders. This volume brings together a collection of articles, previously announced and briefly presented at a round table organized by the two Romanian lectors, as a section of the International Conference “Dialogue of cultures between tradition and modernity”, (Philological Research and Multicultural Dialogue Centre, Department of Philology, Faculty of History and Philology, “1 Decembrie 1918” University of Alba Iulia). The thirteen authors who sign the articles are teachers of Romanian as a foreign language, either in the country or abroad. The challenge launched by the organisers pointed both at the teaching methods of Romanian as a foreign language – including the authors’ reflections upon the available textbooks (Romanian language textbooks) and the cultural implications of this perspective on the Romanian language. It is probably no accident that the first article of the aforementioned volume – “Particularities of teaching Romanian as a foreign language for the preparatory year. In quest of “the ideal textbook’’ (Cristina Sicoe, University of the West, Timișoara) – brings a strict perspective upon that what should be, from the author’s point of view, “the ideal textbook”. The fact that it does not exist, and has little chances ever to exist, could maybe be explained by the multitude of variables which appear in practice, within the didactic triangle composed by teacher – student – textbook. The character of the variables is the result of particular interactions established between the components of the triad. A concurrent direction is pointed out by the considerations that make the object of the second article, “To a new textbook of Romanian language as a foreign language’’ (Ana-Maria Radu-Pop, University of the West, Timișoara). While the previous article was about an ideal textbook for foreign students in the preparatory year of Romanian, this time, the textbook in question has another target group, namely Erasmus students and students from Centres of foreign languages. Considering that this kind of target group “forms a distinct category”, the author pleads for the necessity of editing adequate textbooks with a part made of themes, vocabulary, grammar and a part made of culture and civilization – the separation into parts belongs to the author – that should consider the needs of this target group, their short stay in Romania (three months to one year) and, last but not least, the students’ poor motivation. These distinctive notes turn the existent RFL textbooks[1] in that which the author calls “level crossings”, which she explains in a humorous manner[2]. Since the ideal manual seems to be in no hurry to appear, the administrative-logistic implications of teaching Romanian as a foreign language (for the preparatory year) should be easier to align with the standards of efficiency. This matter is addressed by Mihaela Badea and Cristina Iridon from the Oil & Gas University of Ploiești, in the article “Administrative/logistic difficulties of teaching RFL. Case study”. Starting from a series of practical experiences, the authors are purposing to suggest “several ideas to improve existent methodologies of admitting foreign students and to review the ARACIS criteria from March 2017, regarding external evaluation of the ‘Romanian as a foreign language’ study programme”. Among other things, an external difficulty is highlighted (common to all universities in the country), namely the permission to register foreign students until the end of the first semester of the academic year, meaning around the middle of February. The authors punctually describe the unfortunate implications of this legal aspect and the regrettable consequences upon the quality of the educational act. They suggest that the deadline for admitting foreign students not exceed the 1st of December of every academic year. The list of difficulties in teaching Romanian as a foreign language is extremely long, reaching sensitive aspects from an ethical perspective of multiculturalism. This approach belongs to Constantin Mladin from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia, who writes about “The role of the ethical component in the learning process of a foreign language and culture. The Macedonian experience”. Therefore, we are moving towards the intercultural competences which, as the author states, are meant to “adequately and efficiently round the acquired language competences”. In today’s Macedonian society, that which the author refers to, a society claimed to be multiethnic, multilingual and pluriconfessional, the emotional component of an intercultural approach needs a particular attention. Thus, reconfigurations of the current didactic model are necessary. The solution proposed and successfully applied by Professor Constantin Mladin is that of shaking the natural directions in which a foreign language and culture is acquired: from the source language/culture towards the target language/culture. All this is proposed in the context in which the target group is extremely heterogeneous and its “emotional capacity of letting go of the ethnocentric attitudes and perceptions upon otherness” seem to lack. When speaking about ‘barriers’, we often mean ‘difficulty’. The article written by Silvia Kried Stoian and Loredana Netedu from the Oil & Gas University of Ploiești, called “Barriers in the intercultural communication of foreign students in the preparatory year”, is the result of a micro-research done upon a group of 37 foreign students from 10 different countries/cultural spaces, belonging to different religions (plus atheists), speakers of different languages. From the start, there are many differences to be reconciled in a way reasonable enough to reduce most barriers that appear in their intercultural communication. Beneficial and obstructive factors – namely communication barriers – coexist in a complex communicational environment, which supposes identifying and solving the latter, in the aim of softening the cultural shock experienced within linguistic and cultural immersion. Several solutions are recommended by the two authors. An optimistic conclusion emerges in the end, namely the possibility that the initial inconvenient of the ethnical, linguistic and cultural heterogeneity become “an advantage in learning the Romanian language and acquiring intercultural communication”. Total immersion (linguistic and cultural), as well as the advantage it represents as far as exposure to language is concerned, is the subject of the article entitled “Cultural immersion and exposure to language”, written by Adina Curta (“1 Decembrie 1918” University of Alba Iulia). Considered to be a factor of rapid progress and effectiveness of acquisition, exposure to language that arises from the force of circumstances could be extended to that what may be named orchestrated exposure to language. This phrase is consented to reunite two types of resources, “a category of statutory resources, which are the CEFRL suggestions, and a category of particular resources, which should be the activities proposed by the organizers of the preparatory year of RFL”. In this respect, we are dealing with several alternating roles of the teacher who, besides being an expert, animator, facilitator of the learning process or technician, also becomes a cultural and linguistic coach, sending to the group of immersed students a beneficial message of professional and human polyvalence. A particular experience is represented by teaching the Romanian language at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. This experience is presented by Nicoleta Neșu in the article “The Romanian language, between mother tongue and ethnic language. Case study”. The particular situation is generated by the nature of the target group, a group of students coming, on the one hand, from Romanian families, who, having lived in Italy since early childhood, have studied in the Italian language and are now studying the Romanian language (mother tongue, then ethnic language) as L1, and, on the other hand, Italian mother tongue students who study the Romanian language as a foreign language. The strategies that are used and the didactic approach are constantly in need of particularization, depending on the statute that the studied language, namely the Romanian language, has in each case. In the area of teaching methodology for Romanian as a foreign language, suggestions and analyses come from four authors, namely Eliana-Alina Popeți (West University of Timișoara), “Teaching the Romanian language to students from Romanian communities from Serbia. Vocabulary exercise”, Georgeta Orian (“1 Decembrie 1918” University of Alba Iulia) “The Romanian language in the rhythm of dance and hip-hop music”, Coralia Telea (“1 Decembrie 1918” University of Alba Iulia), “Explanation during the class of Romanian as a foreign language” and Emilia Ivancu (Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań, Poland), “Romanian (auto)biographic discourse or the effect of literature upon learning RFL”. The vocabulary exercise proposed to the students by Eliana-Alina Popeți is a didactic experiment through which the author checked the hypothesis according to which a visual didactic material eases the development of vocabulary, especially since the textual productions of the students, done through the technique that didactics calls “reading images”, were video recorded and submitted to mutual evaluation as well as to self-evaluation of grammar, coherence and pronunciation. The role of the authentic iconographic document is attested in the didactics of modern languages, as the aforementioned experiment confirms once again the high coefficient of interest and attention of the students, as well as the vitality and authenticity of interaction within the work groups. It is worth mentioning that these students come from the Serbian Republic and are registered in the preparatory year at the Faculty of Letters, History and Theology of the West University of Timișoara. Most of them are speakers of different Romanian patois, only found on the territory of Serbia. The activity consisted of elaborating written texts starting from an image (a postcard reproducing a portrait of the Egyptian artist Eman Osama), imagining a possible biography of the character. In the series of successful authentic documents in teaching-learning foreign languages, there is also the song. The activities described by Georgeta Orian were undertaken either with Erasmus students from the preparatory year at the “1 Decembrie 1989” University of Alba Iulia, or with Polish students (within the Department of Romanian Studies in Poznań), having high communication competences (B1-B2, or even more). There were five activities triggered by Romanian songs, chosen by criteria of sympathy with the interests of the target group: youngsters, late teenagers. The stake was “a more pleasant and, sometimes, a more useful learning process”, mostly through discovery, through recourse to musical language, which has the advantage of breaking linguistic barriers in the aim of creating a common space in which the target language, a language of “the other”, becomes the instrument of speaking about what connects us. The didactic approach, when it comes to Romanian as a foreign language taught to students of the preparatory year cannot avoid the extremely popular method of the explanation. Its story is told by Coralia Telea. With a use of high scope, the explanation steps in in various moments and contexts: for transmitting new information, for underlining mechanisms generating new rules, in evaluation activities (result appreciation, progress measurements). Still, the limits of this method are not left out, among which the risk of the teachers to annoy their audience if overbidding this method. Addressing (Polish) students from the Master’s Studies Program within the Romania Philology at the Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań, Emilia Ivancu crosses, through her article, the methodological dimensions of teaching Romanian as a foreign language, entering the curricular territory of the problematics in question by proposing an optional course entitled Romanian (auto)biographic discourse”. Approaching contact with the Romanian language as a foreign language at an advanced level, the stakes of the approach and the proposed contents differ, obviously, from the ones only regarding the creation and development of the competence of communication in the Romanian Language. The studied texts have been grouped into correspondence/epistolary discourse, diaries, memoires and (auto)biography as fiction. Vasile Alecsandri, Sanda Stolojan, Paul Goma, Neagoe Basarab, Norman Manea, Mircea Eliade are just a few of the writers concerned, submitted to discussions with the help of a theoretical toolbox, offered to the students as recordings of cultural broadcasts, like Profesioniștii or Rezistența prin cultură etc. The consequences of this complex approach consisted, on the one hand, of the expansion of the readings for the students and, on the other hand, in choosing to write dissertations on these topics. A “tangible” result of Emilia Ivancu’s course is the elaboration of a volume entitled România la persoana întâi, perspective la persoana a treia (Romania in the first person, perspectives in the third person), containing seven articles written by Polish Master’s students. Master’s theses, a PhD thesis, several translations into the Polish language are also “fruits” of the initiated course. Of all these, the author extracted several conclusions supporting the merits and usefulness of her initiative. The volume ends with a review signed by Adina Curta (1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia), “The Romanian language, a modern, wanted language. Iuliana Wainberg-Drăghiciu – Textbook of Romanian language as a foreign language”. The textbook elaborated by Iuliana Wainberg-Drăghiciu (“1 Decembrie 1918” University of Alba Iulia) respects the CEFRL suggestions, points at the communicative competences (linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic) described for levels A1 and A2, has a high degree of accessibility through a trilingual dictionary (Romanian-English-French) which it offers to foreign students and through the phonetic transcription of new vocabulary units.

Previous studies suggested immersing the language learners in the target language when learning a foreign language. It is, to some extent, difficult to apply because of several factors; therefore, English operates as a medium of instruction in the classroom where the learners have different cultures and different first languages. This study aimed at finding out the use of English as a medium of instruction in teaching Indonesian for foreign language speakers or Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing (BIPA). It applied a qualitative design involving a semi-structured interview with three BIPA teachers selected using purposive sampling. The interview data were analysed interpretively. The findings revealed that English was employed when giving instruction, explaining complex concepts and grammar, defining vocabulary, checking the students’ comprehension, and keeping the classroom interaction. However, English was used limitedly because the learners needed to learn and practice the target language.

The aim of this paper is to ascertain the attitudes English native speakers have towards the Spanish language and culture, specifically, in relation to the speech act of thanking and in connection with Brown and Levinson’s model of politeness ([1978] 1987). Two sources of data were used: First, a corpus of 64 course books which included 250 situations representing the speech act of thanking and, second, a questionnaire for the teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language. The situations including the speech act of thanking were analysed and then categorized according to various criteria. The criteria were created by taking into consideration Coulmas’ (1981) proposal for the classification of thanking as well as the components of this specific speech act. The most frequent situations found in the course books were then used to devise the second source of data. The aim of this was to determine the attitudes of 300 participants, divided equally between the nationalities used in the investigation, Spanish, British and American. The questionnaire included 12 scenarios in which the thanking formula was omitted. Participants were prompted to answer questions based on their perceptions and to include other responses whenever they considered them to be appropriate. The main findings provided evidence of different facework values across the three groups of informants for some of the specific scenarios. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses of data showed that some of the responses were connected to the thanking formulae, but others to speech acts such as request formulae.

In the Asia Pacific region acquiring communicative competence in intercultural interactions in English is an increasingly important goal for adult English language learners. One aspect of communicative competence that has been little researched to date is competence in interpreting the nonverbal channels of communication that accompany speakers’ verbal messages. For Thai learners of English the differences between Thai and English native speakers in many features of nonverbal communicative behaviour can lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication. In this study the understanding of English native speakers’ nonverbal communication and attitudes to such communication is investigated with a group (n = 73) of Thai university students. Using experimental classroom-based research the effectiveness of two teaching approaches using American and Australian films have been evaluated. One of these approaches involves explicit teaching about nonverbal communication used by English native speakers, whereas the other approach does not teach about nonverbal communication, but exposes the students to nonverbal codes whilst explicitly teaching the linguistic features of interactions in the chosen films. Results of pre and post teaching intervention assessments support the importance of explicit teaching for Thai background English learners’ enhanced appreciation of the nonverbal communication of English native speakers.

Main aim of the study was focused on the non-native English speakers and the difficulties they face while learning English as a second language (ESL) and the part of teachers. It is generally felt that the English language plays a vital role in the job market so it is mandatory to learn the language. when the students enroll for the courses to develop the language most of the time, they do not succeed because of various reasons like affecting teaching, lack of motivation, lack of practice sessions, poor training modules, etc. The method of relying on physical actions (Total physical response - TPR)developed by psychologist Jit is based on structural linguistics, behaviorism, and the humanistic direction in teaching, as well as on the position of psychology on the coordination of speech and physical actions that accompany it. The method develops the ideas of the natural method. Its essence lies in the fact that when teaching a foreign language, it is necessary to simulate the process of mastering children's native language, which is assimilated in parallel with the performance of appropriate physical actions. The perception of structures is facilitated if it is accompanied by actions performed by the teacher and students.

It is generally accepted now that learners of a foreign language need to have command of different word combinations, particularly collocations. However, in spite of the fact that collocations have recently been discussed by many linguists, there is still a lack of understanding of how word combinations, and among them collocations, are learned. It is of great importance that collocations are taught intensively to students who have already acquired the basis of a foreign language they wish to master. Collocations are also of the utmost importance in the study of language for specific purposes. Teachers of a foreign language try to approach this issue in different manners. This paper addresses different ways of making students aware of word combinations and their importance. Moreover, teachers of a foreign language are provided with some ideas for teaching collocations and correcting collocational errors students of a foreign language make when they write or speak. Some mistakes made by Slovene speakers of English are listed. The paper also provides some examples of exercises that may be of help when correcting collocational errors made by Slovene speakers of English. Finally, there is some information about different types of dictionaries.

Calls for more holistic research, especially ones that deal with English teaching and learning have increased in recent years. Through critical literature review, this study examines Li Yang’s crazy English, as a trend of English teaching in China. More specifically, it aims to discuss whether Li Yang’s crazy English is one of the “designer” methods and will produce proficient English speakers by proposing two research questions: (1) what is the nature of the “designer” methods? and (2) what specific strategies and what approach to foreign language teaching have the potential to improve learners’ communicative competence in Li Yang’s teaching method? The data have been analyzed and it is found that Li Yang’s crazy English can be categorized as one of the “designers” methods, which is, Total Physical Response (TPR) and failed to build learners’ communicative competence as the ultimate goal of foreign language teaching. The study recommends, therefore, the use of communicative approach in English teaching and learning processes to produce proficient English speakers

<span lang="EN-US">Teaching compliment expression might be challenging for Indonesian EFL teacher, especially presenting compliment responses in some certain context of situation. The present study aims at investigating the compliment response strategies in some learning resources used by English teachers in Indonesia. The subjects of this study are the two EFL textbooks written by non-native English speakers and the supplementary materials derived from two Youtube channels and two materials from online learning websites created by native English speakers</span><span lang="IN">.</span><span lang="EN-US">The findings revealed accepting was the common compliment response strategy represented in all learning resources. it is also noted that the supplementary materials have various compliment response strategies completed with the meta-pragmatic information on each dialogue. The study implied that the EFL students should be equipped with pragmatic and sociolinguistic information in order to achieve the successful communication. </span>

<span lang="EN-US">Teaching compliment expression might be challenging for Indonesian EFL teacher, especially presenting compliment responses in some certain context of situation. The present study aims at investigating the compliment response strategies in some learning resources used by English teachers in Indonesia. The subjects of this study are the two EFL textbooks written by non-native English speakers and the supplementary materials derived from two Youtube channels and two materials from online learning websites created by native English speakers</span><span lang="IN">.</span><span lang="EN-US">The findings revealed accepting was the common compliment response strategy represented in all learning resources. it is also noted that the supplementary materials have various compliment response strategies completed with the meta-pragmatic information on each dialogue. The study implied that the EFL students should be equipped with pragmatic and sociolinguistic information in order to achieve the successful communication. </span>

Slang is an essential element of culture. Learning a foreign language is inextricably linked with the study of the culture of native speakers. Teaching slang, idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs in foreign language classes contributes to the students' vocabulary, understanding informal speech patterns found in media texts and everyday communication with native speakers, developing speaking and listening skills. As a rule, at a foreign language class, students improve their listening, reading, speaking and writing skills through various study materials. Even with these skills, you can fail to communicate with native speakers, read magazines, watch television programmes and travel to foreign countries. The paper discusses the possibility of teaching slang, idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs in a foreign language class at a technical university. To substantiate the need to study slang, idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs, the authors attempted to find out how the youth slang is formed and the reasons for its functioning. Youth slang in modern Russian and English languages has been compared and analyzed.

Sociolinguistic research on attitudes towards language has revealed that native speakers of English are drawn towards those who share their native accent and respond cautiously, perhaps negatively, towards those speaking in ‘accented’ English (Lambert, Hodgson, Gardner & Fillenbaum, 1960; Rubin, 1992). These perceptions greatly disadvantage migrants in competitive job and educational markets. This study investigated perceptions held by Australian university students learning foreign languages towards lecturers with non-standard English accents. The investigators used a modified matched-guised technique to test students’ responses to speech samples from six speakers, one Australian born and raised and five foreign born and raised. Results contrasted clearly with those of previous studies; students rated those who they heard as ‘accented’ speakers highly in many personality dimensions, suggesting the students’ greater readiness to accept foreign accents. The results highlight the importance of foreign language learning in fostering acceptance of linguistic and cultural difference and in facilitating mutual understanding among groups, particularly in multicultural societies.

In this global world, foreign language teaching has been demanded to be intercultural teaching which means that cultural teaching should be integrated in language teaching as well as language competence, in English language teaching for instance. On the ground that the importance of foreign language teaching and learning is largely for purpose of international communication, and intercultural knowledge has crucial role in successful communication. Therefore, this paper reports on a qualitative case study which investigates two English teachers’ practice of integrating intercultural competence in English language teaching at college level. Specifically, this paper provides analysis of intercultural components embedded in teachers’ practice of intercultural integration in teaching English. The data were collected through observation, and unstructured observational notes were employed. The observational data were analysed following sub-processes, are familiarizing, reducing, identifying and classifying, interpreting, and presenting. The result indicates that both English teachers’ understand the objective of English language teaching that teaching language is also teaching the culture as it is showed in their teaching process an intercultural integration, which includes some intercultural components such as attitudes, knowledge, and skills.

Since 1960, technology has been used as one of educational tools to help teachers in teaching learning process. In the context of foreign language teaching, technology is utilized for various reasons and purposes. A questionnaire was distributed to 150 English as foreign Language (EFL) teachers in West Java to investigate the use of technology in their EFL classroom. Specifically, this paper reports the type of technology which teachers usually use in teaching English and also elaborate the reasons why teachers apply technology in their classrooms. Finally, this paper explores teachers’ attitudes on the use of technology in language teaching.

This investigation of thanks to you in British and American usage was precipitated by a situation at an American university, in which a native Arabic speaker said thanks to you in isolation, making his intended meaning unclear. The study analyzes use of thanks to you in the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the British National Corpus to gain insights for English language instruction /assessment in the American context, as well as English-as-a-lingua-franca contexts where the majority of speakers are not native speakers of English or are speakers of different varieties of English but where American or British English are for educational purposes the standard varieties. Analysis of the two corpora revealed three functions for thanks to you common to British and American usage: expressing gratitude, communicating “because of you” positively, and communicating “because of you” negatively (as in sarcasm). A fourth use of thanks to you, thanking journalists/guests for being on news programs/talk shows, occurred in the American corpus only. Analysis indicates that felicitous use of thanks to you for each of these meanings depends on the presence of a range of factors, both linguistic and material, in the context of utterance.

Attitudes towards target language (TL) speakers present an aspect pertaining to the cultural dimension of learning a foreign language. Consequently, the main goals of the study were to determine the participants’ attitudes towards the British and Americans, and the degree of social distance the participants felt towards these groups by comparing evaluations of their willingness to identify with TL and L1 speakers. The participants included in the study (N=239) represented two age groups (secondary and tertiary students), and two educational profiles: philological (Phil) and non-philological (Non-Phil) groups. The main research instruments were an adapted Bogardus Social Distance Scale, which showed good internal consistency on all the subscales, and an English language contact scale, whose aim was to test the participants’ actual interaction with the target language speakers (the length of stay in a TL community, potential mobility via school/university exchange programmes). The main finding suggests that Phil groups, being more familiar with the TL culture, evaluated its speakers much more positively and were generally more willing to identify with TL members, even at the most intimate level (spouse). Accordingly, the practical implications would be to encourage foreign language teachers to keep acquainting learners with different cultural elements and work towards fostering positive attitudes to the TL and its culture. What our study has failed to determine, though, is whether the actual contact with real, flesh-and-blood people in contrast to indirect contact with ‘imaginary TL speakers’ that are the product of one’s perception makes a difference in attitudes.

English as a lingua franca (ELF) has become a standardized mode of communication between diverse sociocultural groups. Besides linguistic competence, English language learners should possess adequate intercultural competence to establish successful social relations worldwide. Therefore, one of the main objectives of English language teaching (ELT) has become the development of intercultural speakers (Byram 1997; Kramsch 1998). One way of achieving this is by using literature in the classroom because learners interpret literary texts from their personal experience and are thus engaged both at a cognitive and an emotional level. Their individual interpretations can nevertheless also lead to generalizations and enforcement of stereotypes about foreign cultures. Hanauer (2001) has developed a method called focus-on-cultural understanding to expose learners to different interpretations. The study explores whether his method can be successfully applied in the context of Croatian university education. The method has proven to be effective for raising learners’ cultural awareness, which could lead to further development of their intercultural competence.

The paper presents the results of an experiment whose purpose was to study the attitudes towards six L1 varieties of English by Slovene students of English. Using the verbal guise test, the participants were exposed to audio clips of Received Pronunciation (RP), General American (GA), Scottish English (ScE), Irish English (IrE), Australian English (AusE) and New Zealand English (NZE). They were required to complete a two-part questionnaire. In part one, they were asked to rate, on four-point Likert scale, statements about the cognitive, affective and aesthetic traits of the speakers, as well as the linguistic traits which they believed contributed most to their attitudes to a particular variety. In part two, they had to rank the six tested varieties indicating their general order of preference, their relative familiarity with the varieties and the appropriateness of the varieties for teaching to Slovene learners of English. The results of the study confirm the findings of numerous other similar studies in giving preference to the two best-known global standard varieties (RP and GA) over the other varieties.

This article critically reviews and discusses English as an International Language (EIL) as an alternative to the traditional models of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL). The author suggests that the model of EIL is an alternative worthdiscussing in the Colombian context. The article is divided into four different sections: a) EIL, ownership of English and native-speakerism, b) attitudes towards EIL, c) EIL described: What does it look like? and d) EIL and English teaching. The review of the literature evidences that there are still many heated debates on the sociocultural aspect of EIL, that one of the greatest challenges of EIL is the attitudes of English teachers and speakers towards the use and legitimization of non-standard varieties, that there is still much to be done in terms of the description of EIL and that adopting an EIL perspective would imply transforming the ways English is taught. The article concludes with an invitation to the ELT community to initiate the discussion of the potential application of EIL in the Colombian context.

This paper is based on a survey into perspectives on the English language conducted in a MA in TEFL program in a Croatian University. In the study we examine non-native student-teachers' attitudes towards English and explore four key issues: a) which varieties of English are preferred, b) how the notion of English as an International Language is conceptualized, c) how attitudes about English inform teaching and learning, and d) to what extent the sociocultural context informs attitudes about English. In the English department, there is no articulated policy toward English, yet there appears to be a strong attachment to native-speaker norms. However, with the internationalization of English and the changing ownership of the language, in recent years, much debate has arisen over the native-speaker ideal (HOLLIDAY, 2005; MCKAY, 2002). The English language is used primarily by non-native speakers to communicate with non-native speakers but it appears that this notion has had little impact on teaching and learning (see JENKINS, 2007). We see this gap as an important, and relatively underexplored issue, which merits more interest in English studies. We conclude that, in this context, perceptions of English are still formed by native-speaker norms, and lack of policy on the English language, in fact, supports native-speaker policy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed an abrupt change in our teaching practices. Particularly the online assessment of students’ writing has been an unprecedented, novel situation for many English foreign language teachers. What is novel about this issue is the constraint of adopting it in a critical situation in which it has been an alternative way to assess students in the absence of the physical presence of students. The shift from face to face assessment to online assessment has been a novel experience for many Moroccan English foreign language teachers who have never implemented it before nor have any background knowledge about its mechanisms and methods albeit there are some teachers who are familiar with online teaching and online assessment. The issue has generated important points for English language teaching practitioners and stakeholders about the strategies and challenges of this compulsory mode of assessment during COVID-19 lockdown. From this perspective, the purpose of this paper was to reflect on writing assessment in the era of COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of teachers. The paper aimed to explore the perceptions of Moroccan English foreign language teachers about online writing assessment and the challenges that encountered them. For this purpose, data were collected from 100 English language teachers in the region of Casablanca through the use of questionnaires. The findings of this study substantiated that most participants considered online assessment of students’ writing a real challenge and hence hold a negative attitude towards it. Based on the results of this study, it was recommended to teach digital writing skills to English foreign language learners and design teaching training programs about online writing assessment.

In the field of TESOL, the perception that Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs) are better than Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) has influenced language schools, recruitment policies and institutional leadership practices. The tendency to recruit more NESTs and achieve improved learning outcomes can be seen in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) contexts. This paper aims to investigate whether NESTs or NNESTs have any impact on the EFL learners� language proficiency in Saudi EFL context. This quantitative study adopts pretest-posttest experimental and ex post facto designs to determine students� achievement in two language skills, namely speaking and listening. The two groups of participants are EFL students in a foundation year program at a Saudi Arabian University. One group was taught by a NEST and the other by a NNEST. The quantitative data were analyzed by using SPSS. The findings indicated that teachers� nativeness and backgrounds have no significant effects on the Saudi EFL learners� speaking and listening skills. Here, Saudi EFL learners can equally perform in classes taught by NESTs or NNESTs. In the light of the findings, the study suggests that recruitment policy should not be influenced by the employers� belief that NESTs possess better teaching skills than NNESTs.��

This study investigated the use of (im)politeness and disagreement in online discussion forums among English speakers and English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. It also explored how internet forum browsers judge (im)politeness and parameters of relational work ((in)appropriateness and negatively/positively marked behaviour) in disagreement. Three hundred and sixty disagreement responses were analysed following a list of disagreement strategies. The most frequent strategy applied by English speakers was 'making scornful and humiliating statements', while EFL learners used 'showing unmitigated disagreement' and 'showing smileys' as the highest and lowest ones. Most of the strategies used by English speakers were judged as polite and appropriate, but neither negatively nor positively marked, while 13 types of EFL strategies were considered as polite, but neither appropriate and positively marked nor inappropriate and negatively marked. Further, the three parameters had positive relationships with one another. This study provides worthwhile information for improving teaching communication skills in EFL courses. Keywords: (Im)Politeness, disagreement, English as a foreign language learners, interactional and discursive approach, online forum

The present study focuses on the experience of flow among 168 Arab and Kurdish English Foreign Language (EFL) learners in both in-person and emergency remote teaching (ERT) classes. Statistical analyses of questionnaire data revealed that learners did experience flow in their ERT classes but for a significantly shorter time than in the pre-pandemic in-person classes. Those who experienced flow in in-person classes were also more likely to experience it in ERT classes. In the in-person classes, the proportion of time in flow was linked to age, self-rated proficiency, attitudes toward English, attitudes toward the teacher, and the teacher frequency of use of English. In contrast, in ERT classes, the proportion of time in flow was only linked to attitude toward the teacher. This is interpreted as evidence that the ERT does not just cause physical and social isolation but also mental isolation.

his study presents the findings of an email exchange project between Chinese and Korean EFL college students. With the non-native speakers of English far outnumbered the native speakers, it is necessary to investigate the interactions between these non-native speakers whose communication is made possible only through English. 36 Chinese EFL college students participated in this e-pal project with a group of 28 Korean EFL college students. This paper reported the Chinese students’ perceptions and their attitudes towards interactions through email exchange with their non-native counterparts. Implications of using project as an approach in EFL learning and teaching is also discussed.

<p><em>In this study, we investigated the relationship between the English proficiency levels of students of English as a foreign language (EFL) and their attitudes toward foreign culture, addressing personal, school, family, social, and ethnic perspectives. Teaching culture facilitates a strong understanding of both familiar and unfamiliar worlds and encourages positive attitudes toward differences. The study sample comprised 90 Taiwanese students who were divided into 2 groups: high-proficiency and low-proficiency learners. The results showed a significant correlation between the English proficiency levels of the high-proficiency learners and their attitudes toward culture. Among the 5 examined factors, the results demonstrated significant correlations among the personal, family, and ethnic factors. Regarding the low proficiency learners, no significant correlation was demonstrated in the attitudes towards culture and none of the factors exhibited significant differences.</em></p>

This study reports on research stimulated by Lev-Ari and Keysar (2010) who showed that native listeners find statements delivered by foreign-accented speakers to be less true than those read by native speakers. Our objective was to replicate the study with non-native listeners to see whether this effect is also relevant in international communication contexts. The same set of statements from the original study was recorded by 6 native and 6 non-native speakers of English. 121 non-native listeners rated the truthfulness of the statements on a 7-point scale. The results of our study tentatively do confirm a negative bias against non-native speakers as perceived by non-native listeners, showing that subconscious attitudes to language varieties are also relevant in communication among non-native speakers.

There are several attitudes towards utilizing translation in teaching a foreign language (in our case English language), but as recent studies have shown, a considerable amount of teachers, teacher trainees and teacher trainers rely on it during the teaching and learning processes. Taking into consideration the fact that the advantages of using translation as a teaching device outweigh the disadvantages, an attempt to formally implement it with students of Fan S. Noli University was made. This paper focuses on the results derived from making such practice part of syllabuses of two different study programs with the view of highlighting difficulties, benefits and misconceptions encountered during the process. The study programs were purposely chosen with no immediate relation between them in order to have results derived by two different groups of users. By means of analyzing the data collected via questionnaires distributed to the students, two main contradictory attitudes will be brought into attention. Moreover, reasons underlying the gap between the attitudes students showed regarding the beneficial aspect of using translation in teaching English as a foreign language will be discussed. Also, among others, the necessity to implement such practice into the curriculum of future English teachers will be emphasized, regarding it as the leading group from where further practice will be carried out in the lower levels of Education.

This research aims to analyze motivational strategies in teaching English as foreign language at 7th grade of Junior High School 7 Kuningan and to analyze students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies that were applied by teachers in teaching EFL. The researchers used qualitative research by using classroom observation, interview, and questionnaires. The result taken from classroom observation and interview show teacher 1 and teacher 3 applied motivational strategies completely based on the phases of motivational strategies. Thus, the students responded these strategies positively. On the other hand, teacher 2 applied motivational strategies incompletely because the teacher missed the first phases. This was responded negatively by students. Therefore, the students were actively involved in teaching and learning process conducted by teacher 1 and teacher 2, but the students were passively involved in teaching and learning process conducted by teacher 2. Furthermore, the result taken from questionnaires shows that students gave positive attitudes towards the teacher 1 (88.25%), teacher 2 (79.02%), and teacher 3 (85.71%). Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the way the teachers applied motivational strategies in teaching EFL determined students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied by teachers in teaching EFL.Keywords: motivational strategies, phases of motivational strategies, students attitudes, teaching EFL

Abstract The present study examines request perspective, the least researched form of mitigation in requesting, while focusing on a type of request characterized by a strong preference for speaker perspective in English and for hearer perspective in most other languages researched to date. It examines requests produced by 900 speakers from nine different (inter)language groups: five groups of native speakers (English, German, Greek, Polish and Russian) and four groups of advanced learners of English as a foreign language (German, Greek, Polish and Russian L1s). While our learners used more conventionally indirect forms than did the native speakers of the respective L1s, showing awareness of this English pragmatic norm, they retained a preference for the hearer perspective. These results suggest reliance on pragmatic universals as an alternative explanation to pragmatic transfer, also illustrating the need to address less salient pragmatic features in English language teaching.

This study aimed to investigate the use of local dialect as language instruction in the English classroom and its demotivating factors for Ngapak Javanese speakers. There were four English teachers and 132 students from four schools in the Ngapak Javanese community participating in this research by semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The findings showed that local variety influenced students’ phonological features, stressing, and intonation. The teachers were indicated having positive attitudes toward the use of local dialect of English. However, they provoked the students to use Bahasa Indonesia as their second language in switching and mixing the code in the teaching and learning process. Lack of vocabulary mastery was also one of the obstacles faced by the teachers. Teachers' perception of the most appropriate implementation of language instruction, teaching strategies, learning resources, and media may lead them to deliver the instruction properly and effectively in improving students’ proficiency. Ngapaknese English could be suggested as a pedagogical implication in the sense of Western Central Java because it is more popular, feasible and practical for students. It also has realistic values in classes, including inspiring students to practice speaking, feasible and cost-efficient.

Abstract In the Expanding Circle (i.e. countries where English is traditionally learned as a “foreign language”), the concept lingua franca cannot be limited to English. Conducted in a Japanese university, this study reports on the perceptions of verbal behaviours by students in multicultural courses where international and Japanese students studied together. These behaviours were analysed and the findings from English medium instruction courses and those of Japanese-medium instruction (JMI) courses were compared. Then, further analysis centred on JMI courses to explore the roles of Japanese L1 speakers in the co-construction of Japanese as a lingua franca with a focus on cognitive and psychological, rather than linguistic, perspectives. Rapport building, accommodation strategies, often initiated by L1 Japanese speakers, and the spontaneous interactions of second language (L2) speakers in discussions, are assumed to have been the keys to more inclusive interactions in JMI courses. The findings emphasize the importance of students’ attitudes and imply that intercultural education in the context, including both L1 speakers and L2 speakers, will have potential to foster effective lingua franca users.

The factor of students' learning attitudes undoubtedly affects their learning outcomes. This study investigates factors influencing Vietnamese students’ attitudes toward English learning in a tertiary institution in the Mekong region to help local educators enhance the quality of teaching and learning English in this region, considered a “low-land” in the education of Vietnam. This study was conducted qualitatively, using structured interviews to collect data from 69 first-year students. The study revealed that internal and external factors affected the students’ attitudes. Regarding the internal factors, students’ self-confidence, risk-taking willingness, anxiety, curiosity, and awareness of the importance of English in their future considerably impacted their attitudes towards English learning. On the other hand, the study found some external factors, including teaching and learning materials, content, curriculum design, and teacher-related factors, including teacher personalities, professional knowledge, teacher communication, and teacher attitudes. Some discussions, pedagogical implications, and recommendations were displayed at the end of the current paper.

This paper puts emphasis on the integration of games in the teaching of English as a foreign language, with the aim of investigating the impacts of using games in the classroom on the process of learning English as a foreign language, the students'perception towards the use of games, the students’ skills, their participation in games, and their attitudes. The research approach adopted is the quantitative approach. The tool used to collect quantitative data is a questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to one group of foreign language students, who study at the university of Letters and Human Sciences in Moulay Ismail University in Meknes, Morocco. The sample includes fifty male and female participants. The findings show that the integration of games in the classroom helps the foreign language students to improve their four language learning skills, vocabulary repertoire, critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, team work skills and encourages them to participate in the classroom. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the use of games in the classroom has many positive impacts on the perceptions of students towards the technique of game-based teaching, their attitudes towards the language, the teacher, and themselves. The significance of the study lies in raising the teachers’ awareness of the importance of the integration of games in teaching English as a foreign language.