Drawing on a case study design, this article examines the real-life adaptive challenges secondary school teachers of English in Uganda face while implementing the 2020 English language competence-based curriculum innovation. Findings indicate that scarcity of instructional materials, time constraints and large class sizes, limited planning and stakeholders’ support, dissonance between local culture and learning styles significantly underlie complications ESL teachers face adapting and implementing competence-based curricula innovations in English language classrooms in low-income contexts in the global south. The experiences of teachers in Uganda resonate across most global south ESL educational contexts. They illustrate the universality of challenges teachers face and are likely to face when implementing competence-based curricula in sub-Saharan Africa and the wider global south where the teaching and learning of English is premised on facilitating acquisition of English language for meaningful interaction.
{"title":"Competence-based language curricula: implementation challenges in Africa","authors":"Dorothy Atuhura, Rebecca Nambi","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccae003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccae003","url":null,"abstract":"Drawing on a case study design, this article examines the real-life adaptive challenges secondary school teachers of English in Uganda face while implementing the 2020 English language competence-based curriculum innovation. Findings indicate that scarcity of instructional materials, time constraints and large class sizes, limited planning and stakeholders’ support, dissonance between local culture and learning styles significantly underlie complications ESL teachers face adapting and implementing competence-based curricula innovations in English language classrooms in low-income contexts in the global south. The experiences of teachers in Uganda resonate across most global south ESL educational contexts. They illustrate the universality of challenges teachers face and are likely to face when implementing competence-based curricula in sub-Saharan Africa and the wider global south where the teaching and learning of English is premised on facilitating acquisition of English language for meaningful interaction.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139752480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This qualitative study sets out to understand the beliefs, functions, and practices of using L1 among EFL learners while they learned new L2 vocabulary. Forty-two Saudi male university students were randomly assigned to 21 pairs and asked to complete three reading comprehension tasks. All pair interactions were audio-recorded. Afterward, interviews were conducted with 21 students. The results suggest that the use of L1 in L2 vocabulary tasks assists students in understanding the meaning of new words. They also revealed the complex sociocultural nature of peer-to-peer collaborative interaction and the role L1 plays in L2 vocabulary learning. The interviews revealed that some participants thought that L1 should not be used in the L2 class, a belief that contradicted their actions. The paper calls for Saudi L2 educational contexts to embrace translanguaging as a beneficial practice that enhances student L2 acquisition and reduces the emotional stress of using L1 in the classroom.
{"title":"Ideologies and practices of the use of L1 in L2 vocabulary tasks","authors":"Sultan Altalhab, Fatma F S Said","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccae001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccae001","url":null,"abstract":"This qualitative study sets out to understand the beliefs, functions, and practices of using L1 among EFL learners while they learned new L2 vocabulary. Forty-two Saudi male university students were randomly assigned to 21 pairs and asked to complete three reading comprehension tasks. All pair interactions were audio-recorded. Afterward, interviews were conducted with 21 students. The results suggest that the use of L1 in L2 vocabulary tasks assists students in understanding the meaning of new words. They also revealed the complex sociocultural nature of peer-to-peer collaborative interaction and the role L1 plays in L2 vocabulary learning. The interviews revealed that some participants thought that L1 should not be used in the L2 class, a belief that contradicted their actions. The paper calls for Saudi L2 educational contexts to embrace translanguaging as a beneficial practice that enhances student L2 acquisition and reduces the emotional stress of using L1 in the classroom.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139680008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper focuses on Seligman’s (2011) PERMA components (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) of well-being. Teachers’ reflection data have been analysed deductively to identify components of PERMA as relevant to themselves as well their perceptions of their learners’ well-being during and after a longitudinal classroom action research project in India. The original British Council study was not focused on well-being but instead on exploring the feasibility of working with children in partnership in classroom research. Teachers reported positive emotions, high levels of engagement, closer relationships with learners in their classes, and they also felt that their work became more meaningful and purposeful. Researching classrooms in partnership with children has the potential to promote many benefits for both learners and teachers, including increased levels of well-being. The paper argues therefore that working in partnership with learners may be an excellent starting point to promote well-being in any classroom.
{"title":"Teacher and learner well-being in collaborative classroom research","authors":"Annamaria Pinter","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccad060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad060","url":null,"abstract":"This paper focuses on Seligman’s (2011) PERMA components (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) of well-being. Teachers’ reflection data have been analysed deductively to identify components of PERMA as relevant to themselves as well their perceptions of their learners’ well-being during and after a longitudinal classroom action research project in India. The original British Council study was not focused on well-being but instead on exploring the feasibility of working with children in partnership in classroom research. Teachers reported positive emotions, high levels of engagement, closer relationships with learners in their classes, and they also felt that their work became more meaningful and purposeful. Researching classrooms in partnership with children has the potential to promote many benefits for both learners and teachers, including increased levels of well-being. The paper argues therefore that working in partnership with learners may be an excellent starting point to promote well-being in any classroom.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139464282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This introduction to the Special Issue on ‘Positive Psychology and Wellbeing’ begins by outlining the history and relevance of Positive Psychology (PP) for ELT. A key construct in PP is wellbeing, which all the papers in this Special Issue focus on. In this introductory article, we describe how the term wellbeing has been used and how it is defined in this collection. We discuss why wellbeing matters in language learning and teaching and point out some of the key controversies surrounding this term. We then introduce the nine articles highlighting their unique contributions to furthering our understandings in this field. We conclude by reflecting on key practical implications derived from the contributions and by presenting possible avenues for future research in this area. Our hope is that this collection of papers will serve as an impetus for innovations in practice, research, and theoretical thinking about this vitally important topic.
{"title":"Introduction to the special issue on positive psychology and wellbeing","authors":"Pia Resnik, Sarah Mercer","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccad064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad064","url":null,"abstract":"This introduction to the Special Issue on ‘Positive Psychology and Wellbeing’ begins by outlining the history and relevance of Positive Psychology (PP) for ELT. A key construct in PP is wellbeing, which all the papers in this Special Issue focus on. In this introductory article, we describe how the term wellbeing has been used and how it is defined in this collection. We discuss why wellbeing matters in language learning and teaching and point out some of the key controversies surrounding this term. We then introduce the nine articles highlighting their unique contributions to furthering our understandings in this field. We conclude by reflecting on key practical implications derived from the contributions and by presenting possible avenues for future research in this area. Our hope is that this collection of papers will serve as an impetus for innovations in practice, research, and theoretical thinking about this vitally important topic.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139064482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In recent years, an increasing drumbeat around emotion research in ELT has brought to the fore an appreciation of teacher psychology and the emotional underpinnings of the teacher–student relationship. This study explores how students report their teacher’s classroom behavior and how those observations lead learners to make broader impressions about the teacher’s mental state. As part of a larger study, 129 adult EFL students took a web survey about their teacher’s classroom behavior, perceived overall happiness, and their perceived wellbeing. Results revealed that teacher behavior was strongly correlated with perceived teacher wellbeing and happiness, meaning that based on how teachers behave in the classroom, students make far-reaching assumptions about their wellbeing beyond the classroom. Due to the phenomenon of emotional contagion, when students think their teachers are happy, they may also feel more positive emotions in the classroom. Suggestions for teachers are discussed, such as strategies for making the best of challenging situations and promoting healthy student relationships as a means to promote teacher and learner wellbeing. Suggestions for potential institutional changes are also made.
{"title":"Exploring teacher classroom behavior and wellbeing from the student perspective","authors":"Sharona Moskowitz","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccad062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad062","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, an increasing drumbeat around emotion research in ELT has brought to the fore an appreciation of teacher psychology and the emotional underpinnings of the teacher–student relationship. This study explores how students report their teacher’s classroom behavior and how those observations lead learners to make broader impressions about the teacher’s mental state. As part of a larger study, 129 adult EFL students took a web survey about their teacher’s classroom behavior, perceived overall happiness, and their perceived wellbeing. Results revealed that teacher behavior was strongly correlated with perceived teacher wellbeing and happiness, meaning that based on how teachers behave in the classroom, students make far-reaching assumptions about their wellbeing beyond the classroom. Due to the phenomenon of emotional contagion, when students think their teachers are happy, they may also feel more positive emotions in the classroom. Suggestions for teachers are discussed, such as strategies for making the best of challenging situations and promoting healthy student relationships as a means to promote teacher and learner wellbeing. Suggestions for potential institutional changes are also made.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"257 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139055905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Migrant families often invite grandparents to move to Australia when babies are born. In order to provide support to their families, many of these grandparents have to retire from their own professional careers and migrate to Australia to start new lives. Some speak English as an additional language, with or without formal education, prior to arriving in Australia. Once in Australia, these senior migrants can only access limited government-funded English learning, and they are frequently left to capitalize on informal learning. This paper discusses a case study of two Chinese-heritage senior migrants and the role English plays in their lives, and grandparenting in Australia. We argue that having the English capability for everyday activity within the family is key to their overall well-being, and that drawing directly on their past experiences and learning strengths can enhance their quality of life.
{"title":"Migrant grandparents in Australia: English learning and well-being","authors":"Alice Chik, Jill Murray","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccad061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad061","url":null,"abstract":"Migrant families often invite grandparents to move to Australia when babies are born. In order to provide support to their families, many of these grandparents have to retire from their own professional careers and migrate to Australia to start new lives. Some speak English as an additional language, with or without formal education, prior to arriving in Australia. Once in Australia, these senior migrants can only access limited government-funded English learning, and they are frequently left to capitalize on informal learning. This paper discusses a case study of two Chinese-heritage senior migrants and the role English plays in their lives, and grandparenting in Australia. We argue that having the English capability for everyday activity within the family is key to their overall well-being, and that drawing directly on their past experiences and learning strengths can enhance their quality of life.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138690170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giulia Sulis, Astrid Mairitsch, Sonja Babic, Sarah Mercer, Pia Resnik
Wellbeing is crucial for teachers, not only for themselves but also for ensuring that they teach to the best of their abilities. Thus, identifying ways of empowering teachers to take action to boost or maintain their wellbeing is vital. In this article, an ecological lens is adopted to understand what determines language teachers’ agency for wellbeing. A thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 EFL teachers based in Austria revealed four key themes which help to explain how teachers exercise their agency for wellbeing. These are: triggers, reflection, affordances, and action. The results show that critical incidents in their personal and professional domains act as triggers drawing teachers’ attention towards their wellbeing and starting a process of deeper reflection. However, a prerequisite for taking action following this reflection appears to be a perceived sense of control about their ability to change things in their personal and professional lives.
{"title":"ELT teachers’ agency for wellbeing","authors":"Giulia Sulis, Astrid Mairitsch, Sonja Babic, Sarah Mercer, Pia Resnik","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccad050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad050","url":null,"abstract":"Wellbeing is crucial for teachers, not only for themselves but also for ensuring that they teach to the best of their abilities. Thus, identifying ways of empowering teachers to take action to boost or maintain their wellbeing is vital. In this article, an ecological lens is adopted to understand what determines language teachers’ agency for wellbeing. A thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 EFL teachers based in Austria revealed four key themes which help to explain how teachers exercise their agency for wellbeing. These are: triggers, reflection, affordances, and action. The results show that critical incidents in their personal and professional domains act as triggers drawing teachers’ attention towards their wellbeing and starting a process of deeper reflection. However, a prerequisite for taking action following this reflection appears to be a perceived sense of control about their ability to change things in their personal and professional lives.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"178 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138631482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Although positive psychology (PP) is characterized as a tripartite approach to human flourishing that considers emotions, traits, and institutions, to date the role of institutions has been relatively overlooked. This is particularly problematic when exploring language teacher wellbeing because a teacher’s ability to thrive is also dependent upon the context in which they work. Combining the results of a web survey on teacher wellbeing with relevant concepts from PP on the collective responsibility of individuals and institutions, this study provides a podium from which teachers’ voices can be heard. When asked for specific advice on positively confronting challenges (particularly stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic), teachers’ recommendations coalesced around the four themes of doing your best: teaching practices, positive leadership, and positive attitudes and gratitude. The purpose of this study is to listen to teachers’ voices and provide implications for making more positive institutions.
{"title":"Language teacher wellbeing: an individual–institutional pact","authors":"Tammy Gregersen, Peter MacIntyre","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccad053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad053","url":null,"abstract":"Although positive psychology (PP) is characterized as a tripartite approach to human flourishing that considers emotions, traits, and institutions, to date the role of institutions has been relatively overlooked. This is particularly problematic when exploring language teacher wellbeing because a teacher’s ability to thrive is also dependent upon the context in which they work. Combining the results of a web survey on teacher wellbeing with relevant concepts from PP on the collective responsibility of individuals and institutions, this study provides a podium from which teachers’ voices can be heard. When asked for specific advice on positively confronting challenges (particularly stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic), teachers’ recommendations coalesced around the four themes of doing your best: teaching practices, positive leadership, and positive attitudes and gratitude. The purpose of this study is to listen to teachers’ voices and provide implications for making more positive institutions.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"19 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138520206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article investigates the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in an intensive English program for non-matriculated university students. Interventions based on the PERMA model were implemented through weekly 65-minute lessons given during the first class of each week. These were followed by short daily activities during the rest of the week. Using positive psychology topics as the content, students concurrently engaged in language learning activities. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of the semester consisting of five open-ended questions relating to the PPIs, the lessons, the activities, the topics, and how they felt the PPIs affected their language learning and their life outside of class. Two raters individually reviewed each student response and marked them as positive, neutral, or negative. On the whole, the learners viewed the PPIs as being helpful for their well-being without detracting from their linguistic development.
{"title":"Teaching positive psychology lessons in an intensive English program","authors":"Carolee Rogers, Benjamin L McMurry, Dan P Dewey","doi":"10.1093/elt/ccad052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad052","url":null,"abstract":"This article investigates the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in an intensive English program for non-matriculated university students. Interventions based on the PERMA model were implemented through weekly 65-minute lessons given during the first class of each week. These were followed by short daily activities during the rest of the week. Using positive psychology topics as the content, students concurrently engaged in language learning activities. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of the semester consisting of five open-ended questions relating to the PPIs, the lessons, the activities, the topics, and how they felt the PPIs affected their language learning and their life outside of class. Two raters individually reviewed each student response and marked them as positive, neutral, or negative. On the whole, the learners viewed the PPIs as being helpful for their well-being without detracting from their linguistic development.","PeriodicalId":47776,"journal":{"name":"Elt Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138542790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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