The present study investigated the perceptions and practices of a group of Tunisian EFL writing teachers regarding alternative assessment. The objectives of the research were twofold. It first sought to explore the teachers’ conception and implementation of alternative assessment techniques. Furthermore, it attempted to identify major obstacles impeding the adoption of alternative assessment as well as propose some potential solutions to the perceived issues. In total, sixteen EFL teachers from four different universities in Tunisia took part in this research. Two data collection instruments, namely questionnaires and semi structured interviews, were used to elicit teachers’ perceptions and practices. The findings suggest that teachers exhibited favorable attitudes towards alternative assessment. Yet despite their enthusiasm towards it, the practice of alternative assessment is fairly limited compared to traditional assessment. Various obstacles were identified by the teachers including restrictive curriculum, insufficient training time constraints, class size, and students’ attitudes. Teachers highlighted the importance of adequate training and the provision of the necessary resources for better and more efficient integration of alternative assessment methods in L2 writing classes.
{"title":"Alternative Assessment in L2 Writing Classes: Tunisian EFL Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices","authors":"Wided Sassi","doi":"10.48185/she.v4i2.835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v4i2.835","url":null,"abstract":"The present study investigated the perceptions and practices of a group of Tunisian EFL writing teachers regarding alternative assessment. The objectives of the research were twofold. It first sought to explore the teachers’ conception and implementation of alternative assessment techniques. Furthermore, it attempted to identify major obstacles impeding the adoption of alternative assessment as well as propose some potential solutions to the perceived issues. In total, sixteen EFL teachers from four different universities in Tunisia took part in this research. Two data collection instruments, namely questionnaires and semi structured interviews, were used to elicit teachers’ perceptions and practices. The findings suggest that teachers exhibited favorable attitudes towards alternative assessment. Yet despite their enthusiasm towards it, the practice of alternative assessment is fairly limited compared to traditional assessment. Various obstacles were identified by the teachers including restrictive curriculum, insufficient training time constraints, class size, and students’ attitudes. Teachers highlighted the importance of adequate training and the provision of the necessary resources for better and more efficient integration of alternative assessment methods in L2 writing classes.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139143526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In the evolving dynamics of cross-cultural communication, understanding the biases that play a role in language translation is crucial. This research, using the Critical Incident Technique, delved into the nuances of how bilingual Japanese individuals provide translations to non-Japanese speakers, based on the relationship between the translator and the recipient. The findings reveal a notable distinction: bilingual Japanese individuals tend to offer a more positive and intricately detailed translation for non-Japanese-speaking friends as compared to non-Japanese-speaking strangers. This behavior suggests a predominant inclination among Japanese to "protect the face" of those they share closer bonds with, by casting the original message in a more positive light or providing more comprehensive translations. This observed phenomenon not only underlines a cultural aspect of Japanese communication, which prioritizes harmony and face-saving, but also indicates a willingness among Japanese speakers to invest greater effort in the translation process for their friends. The study underscores the inherent biases that can shape Japanese to English translations based on relational closeness, thereby emphasizing the importance of understanding socio-cultural contexts in cross-linguistic interactions.
{"title":"The Influence of Closeness on Japanese-English Translation","authors":"S. Tu","doi":"10.48185/she.v4i2.822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v4i2.822","url":null,"abstract":"In the evolving dynamics of cross-cultural communication, understanding the biases that play a role in language translation is crucial. This research, using the Critical Incident Technique, delved into the nuances of how bilingual Japanese individuals provide translations to non-Japanese speakers, based on the relationship between the translator and the recipient. The findings reveal a notable distinction: bilingual Japanese individuals tend to offer a more positive and intricately detailed translation for non-Japanese-speaking friends as compared to non-Japanese-speaking strangers. This behavior suggests a predominant inclination among Japanese to \"protect the face\" of those they share closer bonds with, by casting the original message in a more positive light or providing more comprehensive translations. This observed phenomenon not only underlines a cultural aspect of Japanese communication, which prioritizes harmony and face-saving, but also indicates a willingness among Japanese speakers to invest greater effort in the translation process for their friends. The study underscores the inherent biases that can shape Japanese to English translations based on relational closeness, thereby emphasizing the importance of understanding socio-cultural contexts in cross-linguistic interactions.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139146778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study aimed to quantitatively estimate the receptive vocabulary size of Moroccan vocational trainees at the specialized institute of applied technology and examine its relationship to their training level and the amount of L2 instruction. Meara’s (2010) Yes/No test was employed to measure the receptive vocabulary size of 405 trainees from two vocational levels. The results revealed that trainees had a mean size of about 1916 words, suggesting that their vocabulary size is insufficient apropos of the lexical knowledge threshold required to understand authentic English texts. They also revealed that the training level was not related to trainees’ vocabulary knowledge, but the number of years of L2 instruction positively correlated with their lexical knowledge. Recommendations were suggested to instructors, course designers, and policymakers at the vocational institutes in Morocco.
{"title":"The Receptive Vocabulary Size of Vocational Trainees at the Specialized Institute of Applied Technology in Morocco","authors":"Hassan El Hadim","doi":"10.48185/she.v4i2.851","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v4i2.851","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to quantitatively estimate the receptive vocabulary size of Moroccan vocational trainees at the specialized institute of applied technology and examine its relationship to their training level and the amount of L2 instruction. Meara’s (2010) Yes/No test was employed to measure the receptive vocabulary size of 405 trainees from two vocational levels. The results revealed that trainees had a mean size of about 1916 words, suggesting that their vocabulary size is insufficient apropos of the lexical knowledge threshold required to understand authentic English texts. They also revealed that the training level was not related to trainees’ vocabulary knowledge, but the number of years of L2 instruction positively correlated with their lexical knowledge. Recommendations were suggested to instructors, course designers, and policymakers at the vocational institutes in Morocco.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139144905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In its drive to valorize narrative heterogeneity and condensed contextualization, Diaspora literary criticism usually places a special accent on the need to listen to underground voices overshadowed by the leading diaspora figures located in the West. It sees that Diaspora is a state of mind that does not necessarily entail physical dislocation for writers to shake the essentialist grip of tradition and the ideological long-established dichotomies. Drawing on this theoretical premise, this article seeks to explore the subversive prospects of writing home in one example of such minority literary work. Mohamed Dellal’s “When the Wind of the Atlas Blows” is a collection of short stories, written in English, that approach the trope of home from the perspective of local diasporic subjects. The narrative positions the present collection creates implicitly question the marginalization of the postcolonial experience of diversity for those who have not indulged the privileges of international migration.
{"title":"Tenacious Displacement of Home in Mohamed Dellal’s “When the Wind of the Atlas Blows”","authors":"Abdellah El Boubekri","doi":"10.48185/she.v4i2.926","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v4i2.926","url":null,"abstract":"In its drive to valorize narrative heterogeneity and condensed contextualization, Diaspora literary criticism usually places a special accent on the need to listen to underground voices overshadowed by the leading diaspora figures located in the West. It sees that Diaspora is a state of mind that does not necessarily entail physical dislocation for writers to shake the essentialist grip of tradition and the ideological long-established dichotomies. Drawing on this theoretical premise, this article seeks to explore the subversive prospects of writing home in one example of such minority literary work. Mohamed Dellal’s “When the Wind of the Atlas Blows” is a collection of short stories, written in English, that approach the trope of home from the perspective of local diasporic subjects. The narrative positions the present collection creates implicitly question the marginalization of the postcolonial experience of diversity for those who have not indulged the privileges of international migration.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139147206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study assessed the attitude of teachers toward the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and her programmes in Ekiti State. The study employed the descriptive survey research type of the non-experimental design. The study's population consisted of secondary school teachers in Ekiti State. The multi-stage sampling procedure was used for sample selection for the study. In all, the sampled teachers were 149. The reliability of the instruments was determined by the Cronbach alpha method. These instruments were: Teachers' Attitude towards the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria Questionnaire (r = 0.87); Teachers' Attitude to the Professional Qualifying Examination of the TRCN Questionnaire (r = 0.82), and Teachers' Attitude to the Programmes of the TRCN Questionnaire (r = 0.81). Descriptive statistics was used in analysing the data for the study.. Findings show that teachers in the State have positive attitude towards the TRCN, its professional qualifying examination, and programmes. Thus, it is recommended that continuous professional development opportunities be provided for these teachers to boost and sustain their positive attitudes towards the agency.
{"title":"Assessing Teachers' Attitudes towards the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria","authors":"M. P. Osiesi, M. N. Odinko","doi":"10.48185/she.v4i1.756","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v4i1.756","url":null,"abstract":"This study assessed the attitude of teachers toward the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and her programmes in Ekiti State. The study employed the descriptive survey research type of the non-experimental design. The study's population consisted of secondary school teachers in Ekiti State. The multi-stage sampling procedure was used for sample selection for the study. In all, the sampled teachers were 149. The reliability of the instruments was determined by the Cronbach alpha method. These instruments were: Teachers' Attitude towards the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria Questionnaire (r = 0.87); Teachers' Attitude to the Professional Qualifying Examination of the TRCN Questionnaire (r = 0.82), and Teachers' Attitude to the Programmes of the TRCN Questionnaire (r = 0.81). Descriptive statistics was used in analysing the data for the study.. Findings show that teachers in the State have positive attitude towards the TRCN, its professional qualifying examination, and programmes. Thus, it is recommended that continuous professional development opportunities be provided for these teachers to boost and sustain their positive attitudes towards the agency.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139355906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this study, our objective was to delve into the perspectives of Tunisian public elementary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers regarding the merits of introducing English at a younger age. We sought to test the hypothesis that an early start in English language instruction, following the "the younger the better" notion (Lenneberg, 1967; Penfield, 1959), would yield positive outcomes. To accomplish this, we collected data through a quantitative approach, involving a sample of 30 teachers, and conducted interviews with five English language inspectors representing different regions of Tunis. The analysis of the data revealed that a significant number of teachers in the observed Tunisian elementary schools acknowledged the importance of initiating English education at an earlier stage, recognizing the pivotal role English plays in the curriculum, and acknowledging children's remarkable enthusiasm for foreign language learning. However, despite this recognition, the Ministry of Education has not taken substantial steps towards implementing changes in the educational system. The findings of this study underscore the significance of English language instruction in Tunisian schools, and both educators and policymakers concur that lowering the age at which English is introduced offers distinct advantages to young second language learners by increasing their exposure to the language. The growing prominence of English education in public schools indicates its potential influence on future educational enhancements in Tunisian public schools.
{"title":"Exploring Perspectives and Reform Dynamics","authors":"M. Melliti, Imen Benamara","doi":"10.48185/she.v4i1.790","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v4i1.790","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, our objective was to delve into the perspectives of Tunisian public elementary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers regarding the merits of introducing English at a younger age. We sought to test the hypothesis that an early start in English language instruction, following the \"the younger the better\" notion (Lenneberg, 1967; Penfield, 1959), would yield positive outcomes. To accomplish this, we collected data through a quantitative approach, involving a sample of 30 teachers, and conducted interviews with five English language inspectors representing different regions of Tunis. The analysis of the data revealed that a significant number of teachers in the observed Tunisian elementary schools acknowledged the importance of initiating English education at an earlier stage, recognizing the pivotal role English plays in the curriculum, and acknowledging children's remarkable enthusiasm for foreign language learning. However, despite this recognition, the Ministry of Education has not taken substantial steps towards implementing changes in the educational system. The findings of this study underscore the significance of English language instruction in Tunisian schools, and both educators and policymakers concur that lowering the age at which English is introduced offers distinct advantages to young second language learners by increasing their exposure to the language. The growing prominence of English education in public schools indicates its potential influence on future educational enhancements in Tunisian public schools.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139355655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Studies have proven the negative influence of stress both on doctoral students’ academic performance and their well-being from different contents. The stress sources were also well investigated in the past literature. However, the situation of female Chinese doctoral students, especially those who have married with children and left their families behind to study in Malaysia just after the reopening of post-pandemic was still rare. To bridge the gap and understand the challenges faced by them, this case study investigated the current situations faced by female doctoral students from China studying in a public Malaysian university with a purposeful sampling method. Five purposefully chosen participants were interviewed and the transcripts were analysed thematically. The findings indicate that their lives in Malaysia are satisfactory. In general, their lives as doctoral students in Malaysia are relatively less stressful, which contradicts the findings from some past literature. The specific characteristics of these five participants of this case study such as the identity transformation to be a full-time female doctoral student and the similarity between local culture and Chinese culture can be utilized to explain the different findings.
{"title":"A Case Study of Chinese Female Doctoral Students in a Malaysian University","authors":"Xiaoting Qiu, Xianxin Hui, Zhifang Liu","doi":"10.48185/she.v4i1.788","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v4i1.788","url":null,"abstract":"Studies have proven the negative influence of stress both on doctoral students’ academic performance and their well-being from different contents. The stress sources were also well investigated in the past literature. However, the situation of female Chinese doctoral students, especially those who have married with children and left their families behind to study in Malaysia just after the reopening of post-pandemic was still rare. To bridge the gap and understand the challenges faced by them, this case study investigated the current situations faced by female doctoral students from China studying in a public Malaysian university with a purposeful sampling method. Five purposefully chosen participants were interviewed and the transcripts were analysed thematically. The findings indicate that their lives in Malaysia are satisfactory. In general, their lives as doctoral students in Malaysia are relatively less stressful, which contradicts the findings from some past literature. The specific characteristics of these five participants of this case study such as the identity transformation to be a full-time female doctoral student and the similarity between local culture and Chinese culture can be utilized to explain the different findings.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139355880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Roselle Urbano, Michael Rivera, Shaira Camille Manapul, Jay San Gabriel
This study aimed to measure the students’ academic performance through Load Reduction Instruction (LRI). Load Reduction Instruction aimed at managing the cognitive burden on students while learning and it comprises five factors; difficulty reduction, support and scaffolding, practice, feedback, and guided independence. This study used quantitative research with descriptive-comparative design in order to gather the data. Whereas, the basic purpose of these designs is to determine the relationship among variables. In consideration of the students’ population, utilization of non-parametric Quota Sampling was done. Considering the challenges encountered in the teaching and learning process, Load Reduction Instruction was particularly significant. The results confirmed that students will benefit from LRI since their mental workload will be reduced with the help of MELCs.
{"title":"MEASURING STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE THROUGH LOAD REDUCTION INSTRUCTION","authors":"Roselle Urbano, Michael Rivera, Shaira Camille Manapul, Jay San Gabriel","doi":"10.48185/she.v3i2.583","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v3i2.583","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to measure the students’ academic performance through Load Reduction Instruction (LRI). Load Reduction Instruction aimed at managing the cognitive burden on students while learning and it comprises five factors; difficulty reduction, support and scaffolding, practice, feedback, and guided independence. This study used quantitative research with descriptive-comparative design in order to gather the data. Whereas, the basic purpose of these designs is to determine the relationship among variables. In consideration of the students’ population, utilization of non-parametric Quota Sampling was done. Considering the challenges encountered in the teaching and learning process, Load Reduction Instruction was particularly significant. The results confirmed that students will benefit from LRI since their mental workload will be reduced with the help of MELCs.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133884545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The present study aims to explore the level of self-esteem among the Yemeni EFL university students and find out whether female and male significantly vary in their self-esteem. It also examines the level of the Yemeni Arabic speaking EFL university students in English oral performance and its relationship with their self-esteem. For the data collection, three instruments have been used. First, 50 Yemeni EFL undergraduate students (female=38; male=12) completed the self-esteem scale (SES) developed by the researcher along with the standardized Self-esteem Scale by Rosenberg(1965). Then, an oral test was set to test students' performance in English speaking skill. The third tool is a spoken test checklist prepared to score the students’ oral performance. The data collected were statistically processed by using SPSS. The results obtained show that: (a) Yemeni EFL undergraduate learners show high self-esteem degree (M=2.90 (out of 5), percentage73%) in both dimensions (c) No significant differences have been found between females’ and males’ self-esteem, (d) There is a very slight difference between female and male towards their own perception towards themselves, but it is not significant, (e) The level of Yemeni EFL undergraduate learners in speaking skill is a bit low (M= 9.94 (out of 20); SD=2.4; percentage 49.4%), (f) There is a significant relationship between self-esteem and spoken performance by Yemeni EFL learners (r=.365, p-value=.009<0.01). As a whole, this study contributed to the ESL/EFL by providing information on Yemeni Arabic speaking undergraduate female and male EFL learners in terms of their self-esteem and their oral communication performance.
{"title":"Self-esteem and its Relationship to English Oral Performance among Yemeni EFL Undergraduate Learners","authors":"Iftikhar Yusuf Al-Ariqi, Ayid Sharyan","doi":"10.48185/she.v3i2.647","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v3i2.647","url":null,"abstract":"The present study aims to explore the level of self-esteem among the Yemeni EFL university students and find out whether female and male significantly vary in their self-esteem. It also examines the level of the Yemeni Arabic speaking EFL university students in English oral performance and its relationship with their self-esteem. For the data collection, three instruments have been used. First, 50 Yemeni EFL undergraduate students (female=38; male=12) completed the self-esteem scale (SES) developed by the researcher along with the standardized Self-esteem Scale by Rosenberg(1965). Then, an oral test was set to test students' performance in English speaking skill. The third tool is a spoken test checklist prepared to score the students’ oral performance. The data collected were statistically processed by using SPSS. The results obtained show that: (a) Yemeni EFL undergraduate learners show high self-esteem degree (M=2.90 (out of 5), percentage73%) in both dimensions (c) No significant differences have been found between females’ and males’ self-esteem, (d) There is a very slight difference between female and male towards their own perception towards themselves, but it is not significant, (e) The level of Yemeni EFL undergraduate learners in speaking skill is a bit low (M= 9.94 (out of 20); SD=2.4; percentage 49.4%), (f) There is a significant relationship between self-esteem and spoken performance by Yemeni EFL learners (r=.365, p-value=.009<0.01). As a whole, this study contributed to the ESL/EFL by providing information on Yemeni Arabic speaking undergraduate female and male EFL learners in terms of their self-esteem and their oral communication performance.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114195169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The ongoing debate regarding the decolonisation of Africa should focus primarily on the domain of education, as ideologies about languages are reflected, implemented and reproduced in the language in education policy (LIEP) of a country. Most African countries have inherited the Western monolingual LIEPs and have given prevalence to ex-colonial languages as official languages of education, media, and administration. Some countries, like Cameroon (host to more than 270 African languages), have gone beyond preferring French and English as a medium of instruction, adding more foreign languages (German, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, and Arabic) in secondary schools and universities, to the detriment of national languages. Most studies on language policy address the issue of language as a medium of instruction and neglect to critically evaluate the pertinence and relevance of the generalised teaching/learning of foreign languages in schools and universities in Cameroon. This study looks at the connection between teaching foreign languages and Cameroonians' transnational aspirations. The data were collected from discussions on two Facebook threads about the topic, discussions with lecturers of foreign languages at university, and a meta-synthesis analysis of existing statistics about international migration for educational purposes. The findings reveal that inbound international migration flux is associated with language but is not the most crucial factor. As a result, the study suggests either suppressing the generalised teaching of foreign languages in the francophone subsystem of education and setting up a public-private partnership or at least suppressing the Spanish and Italian languages whose knowledge has not provided any direct benefit for the majority of the learner. The cost of running those languages is not equivalent to the return.
{"title":"Evaluating the pertinence of foreign languages (German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Italian) in Cameroon’s education curriculum: needs for reform of the curriculum and language in education policy","authors":"Herbert Rostand Ngouo","doi":"10.48185/she.v3i1.452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v3i1.452","url":null,"abstract":"The ongoing debate regarding the decolonisation of Africa should focus primarily on the domain of education, as ideologies about languages are reflected, implemented and reproduced in the language in education policy (LIEP) of a country. Most African countries have inherited the Western monolingual LIEPs and have given prevalence to ex-colonial languages as official languages of education, media, and administration. Some countries, like Cameroon (host to more than 270 African languages), have gone beyond preferring French and English as a medium of instruction, adding more foreign languages (German, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, and Arabic) in secondary schools and universities, to the detriment of national languages. Most studies on language policy address the issue of language as a medium of instruction and neglect to critically evaluate the pertinence and relevance of the generalised teaching/learning of foreign languages in schools and universities in Cameroon. This study looks at the connection between teaching foreign languages and Cameroonians' transnational aspirations. The data were collected from discussions on two Facebook threads about the topic, discussions with lecturers of foreign languages at university, and a meta-synthesis analysis of existing statistics about international migration for educational purposes. The findings reveal that inbound international migration flux is associated with language but is not the most crucial factor. As a result, the study suggests either suppressing the generalised teaching of foreign languages in the francophone subsystem of education and setting up a public-private partnership or at least suppressing the Spanish and Italian languages whose knowledge has not provided any direct benefit for the majority of the learner. The cost of running those languages is not equivalent to the return.","PeriodicalId":143917,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Humanities and Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132311684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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