Earticle

In order to propose a model of English teacher development in Asia, this study has investigated qualifications of primary, secondary and tertiary English teachers (including required degrees and English ability) and pre- and in-service education programs in 16 Asian nations including Korea, China, Indonesia, and Israel. The results of the survey illustrate that most of the Asian regions have strict controls on qualifications of primary and secondary English teachers, but not on those of tertiary teachers. A few regions have specific English proficiency requirements and not many regions have a test for teacher certification. Pre- and inservice English teacher education programs also vary with nations and school levels, but they share similar foci on English proficiency and teaching skills. On the basis of these results, the study suggests five constituents of English teacher qualifications as standards with a variation on their weighting and expected levels across regions, school levels, and teaching experiences. Finally, it proposes a model of English teacher development in Asia for progressive professional development which integrates top-down and bottom-up approaches to teacher education. A renewal system of teachers’ license is also suggested.

Most EFL teachers emphasize vocabulary size at the expense of vocabulary depth, thus neglecting lexical relations such as collocation, etc. Therefore, the current research intends to study the relationship between collocational competence and general language proficiency along with testing the go-togetherness of quantitative and qualitative aspects of lexical knowledge. To that end, 30 senior EFL students were selected from two Iranian universities through a tailored TOEFL test. They received an MC test of lexical (n + v) collocations. The results showed a relationship between the scores on TOEFL and the collocation test, and between the scores on the collocation test and the vocabulary section of the TOEFL. Therefore, collocational competence is much related to general proficiency and that the learners’ qualitative knowledge accompanies their quantitative knowledge, implying that collocation must be attended to properly at the right time through direct teaching or consciousness-raising techniques.

This study aims to clarify the relationship between subjective perception and performance in the communicative learning using Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC). In this study, we developed four types of SCMC: videoconferencing (image and voice), audioconferencing (no image and voice), text-chat with image (image and no voice) and plain text-chat (no image and no voice). In this experiment, each system aids learners in being aware of and uttering a target formulaic expression as learning objectives. We investigated the effect of each system on psychological perception and productive performance, as well as the relationship between perception and performance. The results show that image and voice promote consciousness of natural communication and relief, while a text-mediated system enhances confidence in grammatical accuracy. In order to clarify the relationship between perception and performance, multiple regression analysis was conducted using perception as the independent variable and performance as the dependent variable. The results indicate that consciousness of natural communication and the use of the voice communication affect factors such as the number of utterances, while interlocutor’s image and voice and consciousness of grammatical accuracy lead to self-correction.

In order to interact efficiently with the text, the second language reader needs access to content as well as context. In other words, the second language readers will need to draw on appropriate schematic knowledge to reach satisfactory interpretation of the text. In fact schematic knowledge has textual representations which are represented by lexical choices made by the discourse producer in the encoding process. Thus, one of the teacher’s duties is to help the reader recognize those lexical choices. Any lexical element in a text is the textual representation of an abstract mental concept. This study, conducted in Tabriz University, examines the effectiveness of lexical chains and semantic networks as a top-down pre-reading activity. It is suggested that prior to reading the instructor can highlight those lexical elements in a text that seem to be in close relationship with the topic of text and by making them transparent, the relevant schemata can be activated in the reader’s mind.

Vocabulary learning is essential in second language acquisition, since it is a fundamental element of the target language learning. The present research investigates the overall pattern of English incidental vocabulary learning strategies employed by non-English major graduates, the specific strategies used by high-proficiency learners, intermediate and low-proficiency learners, as well as correlation between learning strategies and learning proficiency. The subjects are 150 non-English major graduates from Chongqing University, China. The research instruments are incidental vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire, vocabulary testing, and individual interviews. By using SPSS 13.0 with K-means cluster, Independent samples test and Bivariate correlate, the analyses of the data reveal that high-proficiency learners and lowproficiency learners show significant differences in choosing vocabulary learning strategies in their incidental vocabulary learning. With the increase of vocabulary level, the number of incidental vocabulary strategies used by the subjects also increases gradually. Drawing upon the research, the pedagogical implications of the research are suggested that teachers should encourage them to realize the importance of incidental vocabulary learning and to expand involvement in the learning process. With the findings of different learning strategies employed by high and low proficiency subjects, as well as correlations between learning strategies and their incidental vocabulary learning proficiency, teachers need to make further comparison and help learners discover the most beneficial learning strategies for themselves.

An Action Plan to Cultivate “Japanese with English Abilities” was formulated by the Japanese Ministry of Education in 2003. This article shows the outlines of this plan and a critical discussion focusing on its defects and problems. The article is divided into three parts. The first part shows introduction and the background information that leads to the formation of the Action Plan. The second part, which is the main part of this article, gives the critical discussion on two parts of the Action Plan, that is “Goals to cultivate ‘Japanese with English Abilities’” and “Action to Improve English Education”. The third part shows conclusion. In this part, the author concludes the article by claiming that the Action Plan is an improper control to education.

Over the past decades, the astounding development in both computer technology and the network has considerably promoted the research and application of language educational technologies. Given the tendency of China’s college English education as well as the curriculum requirements dictated by the Ministry of Education of China (2004), it is necessary to develop a CALL system corresponding to China’s college English education reality. The paper concerns itself with an analysis of English Language & Culture CAI Matrix (ELCCAIM) developed independently by the practicing English teachers of Foreign Languages College of Sichuan University in China. By analysing ELCCAIM, the paper aims to explore the feasibility and necessity of developing the localized CALL system for China’s college English teaching and learning on the base of computer technology and the campus-network and applying the theories of educational psychology and linguistics to the development process.

Recent research into task-based language teaching claims that manipulation of task factors, learner factors, and task processing conditions can focus language learners’ attention on the competing goals of accuracy, complexity, or fluency. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of topic familiarity on accuracy, complexity, and fluency of L2 oral output. Defining task familiarity in terms of learners’ familiarity with task topic, the twenty upper-intermediate level participants of the study performed a familiar and then an unfamiliar task. The results of statistical analysis revealed that the participants produced a more accurate and more fluent, but less complex discourse in their performance of the familiar task. The findings highlight the need to consider topic familiarity as a task feature in syllabus design and materials development and the necessity of considering this task feature for accomplishing accuracy, complexity, or fluency in oral task production.

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of feedback and revision on the writing of Japanese EFL learners. The students were divided into four groups, depending on from whom they were given feedback. Forty students participated in this study. The participants were trained to give both self-feedback and peer-feedback in class. After writing first drafts, the students were given feedback in one of the four forms of feedback. (Group A: required to revise after self-feedback, Group B: required to revise after peer-feedback, Group C: required to revise after teacher-feedback, Group D: required to revise after peer & teacher-feedback). The result was that the scores of all groups became higher after each type of feedback, and there was no significant difference according to feedback types. However, the questionnaire indicated that the peer and teacher feedback group most often reported that the comments were useful in revising their drafts.

This paper describes and evaluates the implementation of an English oral skills action research project carried out at Colegio Atlántico del Sur (henceforth, CADS), a private middle school in Argentina. The participants of this study were 24 learners, their teacher and a teacherresearcher and evaluator. Data were collected from the learners’ oral output, questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations. The findings were analyzed against a set of given criteria based on the literature and our own experience as teachers of English. The results revealed that after having worked with collaborative tasks, which combined a focus on form during a relatively short period of time, these learners were able to moderately improve their spoken English; they became more aware of how certain aspects of language work and they were able to develop their self-confidence and stimulate their motivation to continue learning in class. Secondly, action research projects of this type, where teachers are made to work collaboratively and reflect on their practices, are also valuable in that these aspects contribute significantly to improve teacher development. Finally, some avenues for future research in this area were highlighted.