An investigation into the effects of processing instruction on the acquisition of English relative clauses by Syrian learners

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of Processing Instruction (VanPatten, 1996, 2007), as an input-based model for teaching second language grammar, on Syrian learners’ processing abilities. The present research investigated the effects of Processing Instruction on the acquisition of English relative clauses by Syrian learners in the form of a quasi-experimental design. Three separate groups were involved in the research (Processing Instruction, Traditional Instruction and a Control Group). For assessment, a pre-test, a direct post-test and a delayed post-test were used as main tools for eliciting data. A questionnaire was also distributed to participants in the Processing Instruction group to give them the opportunity to give feedback in relation to the treatment they received in comparison with the Traditional Instruction they are used to. Four hypotheses were formulated on the possible effectivity of Processing Instruction on Syrian learners’ linguistic system. It was hypothesised that Processing Instruction would improve learners’ processing abilities leading to an improvement in learners’ linguistic system. This was expected to lead to a better performance when it comes to the comprehension and production of English relative clauses. The main source of data was analysed statistically using the ANOVA test. Cohen’s d calculations were also used to support the ANOVA test. Cohen’s d showed the magnitude of effects of the three treatments. Results of the analysis showed that both Processing Instruction and Traditional Instruction groups had improved after treatment. However, the Processing Instruction Group significantly outperformed the other two groups in the comprehension of relative clauses. The analysis concluded that Processing Instruction is a useful tool for instructing relative clauses to Syrian learners. This was enhanced by participants’ responses to the questionnaire as they were in favour of Processing Instruction, rather than Traditional Instruction. This research has theoretical and pedagogical implications. Theoretically, the study showed support for the Input hypothesis. That is, it was shown that Processing Instruction had a positive effect on input processing as it affected learners’ linguistic system. This was reflected in learners’ performance where learners were able to produce a structure which they had not been asked to produce. Pedagogically, the present research showed that Processing Instruction is a useful tool for teaching English grammar in the context where the experiment was carried out, as it had a large effect on learners’ performance.

Aspects of English building works from medieval times to the mid-nineteenth century

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A qualitative study of English community pharmacists’ experiences of providing lifestyle advice to patients with cardiovascular disease

Background - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression is modifiable through lifestyle behaviors. Community pharmacists are ideally placed to facilitate self-management of cardiovascular health however research shows varied pharmacist engagement in providing lifestyle advice. Objective - This study explored community pharmacists' experiences and perceptions of providing lifestyle advice to patients with CVD. Methods - Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen pharmacists (1 supermarket; 7 multiple; 7 independent) recruited through multiple methods from community pharmacies across the Midlands, England. A thematic analysis was conducted using a Framework approach. Results - Pharmacists categorized patients according to their perceptions of the patients' ability to benefit from advice. Many barriers to providing lifestyle advice were identified. Confidence to provide lifestyle advice varied, with pharmacists most comfortable providing lifestyle advice in conjunction with conversations about medicines. Some pharmacists felt lifestyle advice was an integral part of their role whilst others questioned whether pharmacists should give lifestyle advice at all, particularly when receiving no remuneration for doing so. Conclusion - Pharmacists viewed providing lifestyle advice as important but identified many barriers to doing so. Lifestyle advice provision was influenced by pharmacists' perceptions of patients. Professional identity and associated role conflict appeared to underpin many of the barriers to pharmacists providing lifestyle advice. Pharmacists may benefit from enhanced training to: increase their confidence to provide lifestyle advice; integrate lifestyle advice with regular pharmaceutical practice and challenge their perceptions of some patients' receptiveness to lifestyle advice and behavior change. Changes to the way UK pharmacists are remunerated may increase the provision of lifestyle advice.

Negotiating topic changes:native and non-native speakers of English in conversation

There is a tendency to view conversations involving non-native speakers (NNSs) as inevitably fraught with problems, including an inability to handle topic management. This article, in contrast, will focus on effective topic changes made by non-native speakers during informal conversations with native speakers of English. A micro-analysis of ten conversations revealed several ways of shifting conversational topics; however, the article concentrates on those strategies which the participants used to effect a particular type of topic move, namely 'marked topic changes', where there is no connection at all with previous talk. The findings show how these topic changes were jointly negotiated, and that the non-native speakers' contributions to initiating new topics were competently managed.

Post-observation feedback as an instigator of teacher learning and change

This paper investigates an on-going study into the nature of the discourse teacher educators (TEds) and student-teachers (Ts) use during postobservation feedback, and explores the feedback discourse in terms of the impact it may have on teacher learning and change. Two types of feedback, confirmatory and corrective, are briefly discussed, and the former is then made the focus of the paper in its role as a potential instigator of teacher learning and change.

The discourse of academic seminars:structures and strategies of interaction

Seminar discussion is an important mode of instruction in Higher Education. However, the discourse of discussion in academic seminars has been little investigated. Until now, there has existed only a limited amount of empirically based language description which could be used to inform those working in the field of English for Academic Purposes. The present study investigates discussion in seminars on a MBA programme and offers frameworks to account for central aspects of the verbal interaction: exchange patterns; acts and moves initiating exchanges and strategies. Three subgenres of seminar discussion are examined: the discussion following the presentation by an outside speaker; the discussion following the presentation by students and non-presentation tutorial discussion. Exchanges are found to be basically two-part structures of initiation and response. Some extended patterns are brought to light and it is argued that the major impetus prolonging exchanges in discussion is a third-part move registering dissatisfaction with the initial responses given. Exchanges are observed to be driven by moves functioning as elicitations although acts at initiation both ask for information and ideas and propose them. Initiation may be complex and involves a mixture of the acts. Textual signalling and attitudinal strategies used in seminars are explicated. The latter are accounted for in terms of the face concerns of the speakers. The features are examined across the three subgenres. Some quantitative variations were observed. These variations are discussed in the light of situational variables such as levels of participant status and knowledge. Theoretical implications are drawn and applications for syllabus and methodology in English for Academic Purposes are suggested.

Unresolved issues and new challenges in teaching English to young learners:the case of South Korea

The introduction of languages, especially English, into the primary curriculum around the world has been one of the major language-in-education policy developments in recent years. In countries where English has been compulsory for a number of years, the question arises as to what extent the numerous and well-documented challenges faced by the initial implementation of early language learning policies have been overcome and whether new challenges have arisen as policies have become consolidated. This article therefore focuses on South Korea, where English has been compulsory in primary school since 1997. The issues raised by the introduction of English into the primary curriculum are reviewed and the current situation in South Korea is investigated. The results of a mixed methods study using survey data from 125 Korean primary school teachers, together with data from a small-scale case study of one teacher are presented. The study shows that, while some of the initial problems caused by the introduction of early language learning appear to have been addressed, other challenges persist. Moreover, the data reveal the emergence of a number of new challenges faced by primary school teachers of English as they seek to implement government policy. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

English-for-teaching:rethinking teacher proficiency in the classroom

The expansion of English teaching in state education systems places increasing demands on English language teachers and how they are trained. A major thrust of these efforts has focused on improving teachers' English language proficiency. This expectation is manifested in policy and pedagogical directives that teachers 'teach English in English'. We argue for a reconceptualization of teacher language proficiency, not as general English proficiency but as a specialized subset of language skills required to prepare and teach lessons. This concept of English-for-Teaching as a bounded form of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) for the classroom builds on what teachers know about teaching, while introducing and confirming specific classroom language. This article describes how the construct was developed and then describes sample classroom tasks and the language needed to enact them in three major areas: managing the classroom, understanding and communicating lesson content, and assessing students and giving feedback.

The construction and negotiation of identity and face in post observation feedback

Identity influences the practice of English language teachers and supervisors, their professional development and their ability to incorporate innovation and change. Talk during post observation feedback meetings provides participants with opportunities to articulate, construct, verify, contest and negotiate identities, processes which often engender issues of face. This study examines the construction and negotiation of identity and face in post observation feedback meetings between in-service English language teachers and supervisors at a tertiary institution in the United Arab Emirates. Within a linguistic ethnography framework, this study combined linguistic microanalysis of audio recorded feedback meetings with ethnographic data gathered from participant researcher knowledge, pre-analysis interviews and post-analysis participant interpretation interviews. Through a detailed, empirical description of situated ‘real life’ institutional talk, this study shows that supervisors construct identities involving authority, power, expertise, knowledge and experience while teachers index identities involving experience, knowledge and reflection. As well as these positive valued identities, other negative, disvalued identities are constructed. Identities are shown to be discursively claimed, verified, contested and negotiated through linguistic actions. This study also shows a link between identity and face. Analysis demonstrates that identity claims verified by an interactional partner can lead to face maintenance or support. However, a contested identity claim can lead to face threat which is usually managed by facework. Face, like identity, is found to be interactionally achieved and endogenous to situated discourse. Teachers and supervisors frequently risk face threat to protect their own identities, to contest their interactional partner’s identities or to achieve the feedback meeting goal i.e. improved teaching. Both identity and face are found to be consequential to feedback talk and therefore influence teacher development, teacher/supervisor relationships and the acceptance of feedback. Analysis highlights the evaluative and conforming nature of feedback in this context which may be hindering opportunities for teacher development.

Investigating EFL teacher beliefs about teaching and learning

This article reports on research into the beliefs of a group of teachers working in the field of TESOL, specifically teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). In particular, the aim was to see if it is possible to identify a coherent system of beliefs about teaching and learning that may account for different approaches to teaching.

The science and technology of corpus, and corpus for science and technology

Corpus Linguistics is a young discipline. The earliest work was done in the 1960s, but corpora only began to be widely used by lexicographers and linguists in the late 1980s, by language teachers in the late 1990s, and by language students only very recently. This course in corpus linguistics was held at the Departamento de Linguistica Aplicada, E.T.S.I. de Minas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid from June 15-19 1998. About 45 teachers registered for the course. 30% had PhDs in linguistics, 20% in literature, and the rest were doctorandi or qualified English teachers. The course was designed to introduce the use of corpora and other computational resources in teaching and research, with special reference to scientific and technological discourse in English. Each participant had a computer networked with the lecturer’s machine, whose display could be projected onto a large screen. Application programs were loaded onto the central server, and telnet and a web browser were available. COBUILD gave us permission to access the 323 million word Bank of English corpus, Mike Scott allowed us to use his Wordsmith Tools software, and Tim Johns gave us a copy of his MicroConcord program.

The advanced learner variety:the case of French

This volume originates from a workshop entitled 'Revisiting advanced varieties in L2 learning' organized by the editors at Aston University (Birmingham, UK) in June 2006. It consists of a peer-reviewed selection of the best contributions. Many different approaches have been used in the study of advanced learners and their characteristics. Specific areas of language have repeatedly been found to remain problematic even at advanced levels, and much empirical research has been carried out. In particular, areas of grammar such as the tense or agreement systems often pose difficulties, as well as lexical idiosyncrasies such as formulaic sequences, and the discourse/pragmatic constraints operating in French. This volume brings together recent research exploring the advanced learner capabilities in each of those domains, as well as possible explanations for the difficulties they raise for the L2 learner of French. Additionally, one of the areas which has received considerable attention in the French L2 literature on advanced learners, tense and aspect, is also explored from the point of view of French learners of English, to explore any parallels. In presenting this research, the book clarifies the concept of the advanced learner: how does s/he differ from native speakers and why?

Introduction

Professional Encounters in TESOL investigates the developing discourses of English Language teachers in a variety of international contexts. By analysing how professional development takes place through participation in professional discourse, the chapters shed light on what teachers do and why they do it. The book is organised in four sections, reflecting the stages in an English language teacher's career: 'Starting Out' focuses on initial teacher training, 'Becoming Experienced' looks inside their classroom, 'New Horizons' shifts the perspective to the professional development of experienced teachers, and 'Passing on Knowledge' investigates the discourses of experienced teachers as they contribute to the professional development of their peers. Each section is followed by reflections on the chapters written by a teacher from an international context at the particular stage in their professional development reflected in the section. The book should have particular appeal to all those working in the area of teacher development and will also be of interest to practising teachers.

Professional encounters in TESOL:Discourses of teachers in teaching

This book investigates the developing discourses of English Language teachers in a variety of international contexts. By analysing how professional development takes place through participation in professional discourse, the chapters shed light on what teachers do and why they do it.

From experience to knowledge in ELT

From Experience to Knowledge in ELT investigates the developing discourses of English Language teachers in a variety of international contexts. By analysing how professional development takes place through participation in professional discourse, the chapters shed light on what teachers do and why they do it. - Better understand what they have already learned through their teaching - use that new understanding to develop their teaching - prepare to gain a recognised qualification (such as the Cambridge Teacher Knowledge Test) Using short extracts from published course books as examples, From Experience to Knowledge in ELT offers the teacher reliable procedures and alternatives, as well as ways of thinking about developing a personal teaching style.