2nd World Conference on Foreign Language Education

It has been noted that ESL/EFL learners’ positive engagement deeply affect their performance and academic achievement. Content learning within an ESL/EFL context requires a great amount of cognitive and affective involvement. Passive learning tend to cause learnability problems and alter the learner’s mental representations about the discipline taught. The present study investigates the reliability of the Sheltered Instruction and Observation Protocol (SIOP) model and its effectiveness in maximizing learners’ engagement in an EFL classroom, compared to mainstream models. Very few studies addressed the issue. In collecting data, we observed and video-recorded Biology classes. The study targeted Moroccan mixed-ability ninth graders selected by means of convenience sampling. The selected students attended mainstream and the SIOP classes. Compared to mainstream classes, a considerable number of students taught the SIOP way showed better engagement and interest in the materials taught based on pertinent observable indicators. Further analysis of the results indicates that content along with language are better delivered through SIOP. Although mainstream strategies can do well with language, there will still be shortcomings as far as content areas are concerned. Meticulously developed and framed, SIOP is a lesson delivery model to plan and deliver instructions effectively while linking language objectives to content objectives in content areas such as Mathematics, Science, History and geography and so on. SIOP is an efficient way to enable English learners to improve their academic English within the school context. Thanks to its in-built strategies, covering various stages of lesson building, SIOP proves to be an efficient way to enable English learners to improve their academic English within the school context.

This research aimed to 1. study the effectiveness of multiple choice exams when used to assess writing skills compared to essay writing exams, 2. construct a multiple choice exam that can be used to assess students’ writing competency effectively, and 3. provide guidelines for English instructors in constructing and using multiple choice exams for writing classes. The subjects of the study were 79 third-year students who were studying English as their minor subject at the Faculty of Arts, Silpakorn University in 2021 and taking the writing course 412221 Reading and Writing. Two types of exams were used in the study: a multiple choice exam and an essay writing exam. A cause & effect essay was used in both multiple choice and essay writing exams. The 30-item multiple choice exam covered essay elements and organization, grammar points and vocabulary. As for the essay writing exam, students were instructed to write one essay on one of the four given topics. Results showed that the students performed better in the multiple choice exam, scoring an average of 21.0253 points while in the essay writing exam, the students received 19.3418 points. Looking at each area of assessment individually, students achieved a marginally better performance in the grammar and vocabulary topics of the multiple choice exam, while they received a slightly higher score in the essay elements of the essay writing exam. However, except for the vocabulary part, the difference in the score of the remaining parts was not statistically significant. In addition, the difficulty index mean comparison showed that both types of exam were of comparable difficulty and the discrimination index of the multiple choice exam and essay writing exam were comparable with no statistical significance, 0.2743 and 0.2848 respectively. One contributing factor to this may be the use of the essay writing exam analytic rubric, as mistakes other than what were included in the analytic rubrics were not recorded. Furthermore, the analytic rubrics had a fixed maximum points that could be deducted. The results suggest that multiple choice exams, if constructed well and cover all the topics that are taught in class, can be used as a tool in evaluating writing competency and can have comparable effectiveness to essay writing exams. Multiple choice exams can shorten time spent on marking, improve efficiency and reduce boredom, which could affect reliability in marking and grading.

This study examines secondary English learners' attitudes and expectations towards an English grammar-focused DLP designed by pre-service English teachers at the University of Education Karlsruhe. To answer this, we had students complete one or two DLPs (structured according to Bloom's taxonomy) on their school tablets, without any intervention from their teacher. A mixed methods research design was chosen for conducting this study. The purpose of choosing this research design was to reach conclusions that are more robust. Data was collected using a Google Forms questionnaire containing 15 pre-set multiple-choice and open-ended questions. There were 80 students in total. Students completed the questionnaire (anonymously) as soon as they finished their DLP. The research data was collected in October 2022, and the data analysis was performed using Jamovi statistical software. The results showed that English learners have a very positive attitude towards DLPs and half of them would prefer to integrate them into their English grammar lessons as long as they include storytelling, formative assessment, interactivity, multimedia presentation of information, a student-friendly navigation system, and a pedagogical agent. The other half of students want to be taught English grammar by DLPs only for the same reasons. The analysis of the results can contribute to an increase in research focused on the use of DLPs in education and specifically in the teaching/learning of English grammar. In addition, it could inspire not only English teachers but also teachers of other subjects to start integrating DLPs into their teaching.

The research aims at finding out not only how far the permanent EFL teachers are aware of language learning theories and their application in EFL classes in some secondary schools in the Republic of Benin, but also, to what extent it affects the effectiveness of their classroom practices. For that purpose, we have used both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The study covered sixteen (16) government secondary schools in: Borgou, Collines, Mono and Ouémé Departments. It involved forty-six (46) permanent EFL Teachers and one hundred and eighty-seven (187) students from form1 to upper sixth. This enabled us to find out that only 15% of the targeted teachers can remember exactly what learning theories are, and gave some examples of things they used them for in their classes. Moreover, the teachers’ inspections and interviews reveal that some teachers applied unconsciously some teaching techniques deriving from language learning theories. Yet, they were still challenges to face as regards students motivation, students effective involvement in classroom activities, discipline management etc. Therefore, as a result of the implementation of the suggested professional action plan, the EFL teachers are expected to apply consciously the appropriate language learning theories in due time to overcome any impediment to effective classroom teaching and learning. Furthermore, it would induce a positive change in the teaching of language learning theories at the Teacher Training Colleges in Benin. In the future, it would be advisable that further research be extended to aspirant teachers as well. In addition, it should be carried out at a period when pedagogic activities are fully on so that teachers and students could be more available. As for the relevance of the study, it could be said that though language learning theories have been taught for so long time at the Teacher Training College in Benin, so far, in the literature review we have not read any national research work on their application by the trained EFL teachers in their classrooms. For that reason, this research seems to be a pioneer study in that field and will contribute to the improvement of EFL teachers’ performances.

This study is part of a considerable project that the researchers endeavour to accomplish upon approaching the findings. The project aims to develop a training digital courseware offering English for the workplace (EWP) for petroleum staff and technicians in Oman industry. The study aims to explore the needs of the Omani petroleum staff regarding the English language skills and workplace competence when developing the digital course. The study is shaped and guided by the approaches of ESP and leaner needs. The data were collected via two methods, the survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis explored several key findings and themes that are identified in terms of linguistic and workplace needs. The obtained needs-based results will be considered for the upcoming step of development of an effective and engaging course that suits the modern workplace setting and digital age.

p style="text-align:justify;">Sustainable education is a crucial mean of social interaction at times of difficulties. Unexpected emergencies have recently drawn attention to the pivotal role that technology can play to supplement and sustain foreign language education. This review study outlines the basic tenets of foreign language education through emergency remote teaching. Besides a comprehensive discussion of distinctive features of emergency remote teaching, this study sheds light on advantages and disadvantages associated with emergency remote teaching. Eventually, the study offers practical suggestions to handle critical issues in emergency teaching practices.