Internet education has appeared with the development of the lnternet. Since "lnternet+" has come up with in the 2015 government work report, it has become a hot word. "Intemet+" has been applied to traditional e...Internet education has appeared with the development of the lnternet. Since "lnternet+" has come up with in the 2015 government work report, it has become a hot word. "Intemet+" has been applied to traditional education, which has reformed the traditional English teaching in middle school. Nowadays, there are many applications in teaching, such as distance education, smart classroom, and so on. Moreover, with the popularizing of big data, it provides all kinds of information for teachers and students in time, helping teachers in middle school to master the process of study among students. Also, parents can know their children's performance in school through the big data. In education, the development of the Internet has gone through a few parts from the lowest applications to the complex applications. The applications in education are gradually accepted by every educator. There is no limit of time and space so that people can study anywhere, any time.展开更多
In view of a series of challenges since Task-Based Language Teaching(TBLT) was introduced into China, we interviewed 14 front-line teachers in primary and secondary schools about their viewpoints and classroom strateg...In view of a series of challenges since Task-Based Language Teaching(TBLT) was introduced into China, we interviewed 14 front-line teachers in primary and secondary schools about their viewpoints and classroom strategies of TBLT. The results show teachers’ willingness to use TBLT. They adopt flexible teaching procedures, apply TBLT creatively, and explore task-based language assessment. The authors argue for inclusive non-doctrinaire approaches to TBLT, and propose to construct localized TBLT theory and practice with Chinese characteristics.展开更多
Sometimes foreign language teachers find formal instructions unrewarding. This paper intends to find answers to the problems found in the English teaching classroom at university level in China by reviewing the SLA th...Sometimes foreign language teachers find formal instructions unrewarding. This paper intends to find answers to the problems found in the English teaching classroom at university level in China by reviewing the SLA theories on formal instruction and some pedagogical implications drawn from the findings are discussed.展开更多
In China, the teaching of culture was stipulated to be very important at the government level in the form of a curriculum in early 2000s. Now although the teachers seem to be fully aware of the significance of culture...In China, the teaching of culture was stipulated to be very important at the government level in the form of a curriculum in early 2000s. Now although the teachers seem to be fully aware of the significance of culture teaching, there are misunderstandings about it. A survey was conducted to find out how the teachers understand and meet the requirements of the curriculums. The results show even the teachers do not understand the objectives of ELT (English Language Teaching) stipulated in the curriculums. They need training and the requirements need clarification, so that the gap between what is expected and what is performed can be bridged.展开更多
EFL (English as a Foreign Language) speaking is a very demanding skill that requires learners' socio-pragmatic as well as strategic competence in any interactional situation, and lexis proves to play a crucial role...EFL (English as a Foreign Language) speaking is a very demanding skill that requires learners' socio-pragmatic as well as strategic competence in any interactional situation, and lexis proves to play a crucial role in this process. However, few studies have investigated how both EFL teachers and learners view and analyze situations in which learners are not producing enough spoken language in class, and the reasons behind them. The present study will pinpoint the significant role of lexis in Moroccan learners' speaking production. To this end, 40 EFL teachers and 200 Moroccan high school students are surveyed and interviewed to reveal their perceptions of the speaking skill and the corresponding high significance of lexis in this instance. Results show that both teachers and learners identify vocabulary deficiency as the main factor behind students' inability to speak English. In the present paper, among the many suggestions that could be proposed to deal with this situation, it is argued that one efficient way would be to assist the students during the process of L2 (second language) vocabulary learning through vocabulary learning strategy instruction. Pedagogical and research implication will be given in response to the difficulties encountered in this area as have been identified by the EFL teachers and learners surveyed.展开更多
In the field of second language acquisition, an increasing amount of research has been conducted on learner's beliefs. Few empirical studies, however, have been focused on students' conceptions of learning English ...In the field of second language acquisition, an increasing amount of research has been conducted on learner's beliefs. Few empirical studies, however, have been focused on students' conceptions of learning English (COLE). This study aims to assess conceptions of learning particularly in the domain of English. Data were collected through the COLE questionnaire among 284 college students in China. Seven factors of COLE are identified, such as "memorizing", "testing", "drill and practice", "increasing knowledge", "understanding", "application", and "seeing in a new way". These findings also provide some pedagogical implications for English language instructors and researchers.展开更多
In China, it is widely believed that teacher feedback plays a crucial role in EFL writing course, exerting a great impact on the improvement of Chinese EFL students' writing abilities so that teachers have been requi...In China, it is widely believed that teacher feedback plays a crucial role in EFL writing course, exerting a great impact on the improvement of Chinese EFL students' writing abilities so that teachers have been required to deliver feedback on students' writings. Teachers, consequently, spare no pains to give feedback, expecting their students would make progress in their writing, but it seems that things go contrary to their wishes. Although there are various complicated factors contributing to the situation, one of the important factors lies in the teachers, a number of whom do not grasp a systematic and effective mechanism of delivering feedback on EFL student writing. Much importance has been attached to Chinese EFL student writing, however, rare attention has been paid to conducting research on concrete ways of delivering feedback on Chinese EFL student writing in China. Therefore, this paper serves to fill the gap, mainly devoting itself to exploring concrete methods of delivering teacher feedback on EFL student writing.展开更多
For most universities and colleges in China, literary theory is taught at the graduate level of literary studies. Most English teachers think literary theory is such a complex field with jargon-ridden disciplines and ...For most universities and colleges in China, literary theory is taught at the graduate level of literary studies. Most English teachers think literary theory is such a complex field with jargon-ridden disciplines and concepts that it is often considered as "a hot potato" in classroom teaching. Based on a case study from "Approaching Fiction" in China Youth University of Political Studies (CYUPS), the present paper claims that application of literary theory in teaching literature not only greatly broadens students' horizon but also deepens their interpretation and understanding of literary works. With proper selection of teaching material and carefully designed teaching approaches, application of critical theory plays an increasingly important role in the undergraduate literature classroom.展开更多
Enhancing the teaching quality of college English teachers in China is an important guarantee to improve the level of English teaching and is a realistic choice of promoting the sustainable development of English educ...Enhancing the teaching quality of college English teachers in China is an important guarantee to improve the level of English teaching and is a realistic choice of promoting the sustainable development of English education. The article analyzes the basic quality that college English teachers should have and discusses the current English teaching status in order to improve the quality of English teachers and promote the development of English teaching in China.展开更多
I am an Australian living in Quanzhou, Fujian Province. I am employed as an English conversation teacher in a local middle school. I enjoy reading China Today and would be interested in writing an article on my impres...I am an Australian living in Quanzhou, Fujian Province. I am employed as an English conversation teacher in a local middle school. I enjoy reading China Today and would be interested in writing an article on my impression of Quanzhou, or my experiences as a teacher in middle school or other topics that may be of interest to your readers.展开更多
Content-based instruction has been gaining widespread popularity in the teaching of both ESL and EFL. Despite its reported and recognized advantages, however, many English teachers fail to make full use of its content...Content-based instruction has been gaining widespread popularity in the teaching of both ESL and EFL. Despite its reported and recognized advantages, however, many English teachers fail to make full use of its content and benefits of language learning. In addition, there are comparatively few studies which offer theoretical foundation for content-based teaching and constructive suggestions for its integration in the settings of EFL. This article aims to connect theory with practice and help teachers of EFL in China to maximize the potential of content-based instruction. To achieve this goal, it first presents a short literature review on project-based instruction, followed by a summary of its advantages and beneficial outcomes of using the intemet in order to implement it. It then proposes an eight-step process for the sequencing of project work and finally demonstrate a real-world project specially designed for Chinese EFL students. Both the design and the teaching activities proposed can be easily transferred to other settings..展开更多
In the modern times, the professional development of teachers is a hot topic among the educational world. Facilitating the professional development of teachers is one of a most important way to improve the teachers' ...In the modern times, the professional development of teachers is a hot topic among the educational world. Facilitating the professional development of teachers is one of a most important way to improve the teachers' personalities. However, how to facilitate the professional development of the novice English teacher in the secondary school is still a big and headache problem in front of all education managers and all novice English teachers. For this reason, it has a huge practical significance to look for some ways to research the professional development of the novice English teachers in secondary school. The objective of this research is to promote the professional development of novice English teachers in secondary school through a wide range of ways. It also aims to promote the whole personalities of all English teachers and the whole English teaching qualities. This paper wiU research in how to promote and facilitate the professional development of the novice English teachers in secondary school from the parts of country, school and teachers. Specificly speaking, from the perspective of country, it contains the way of some short trains for novice teachers from superior educational department and some educational action research; From the perspective of the secondary school, it includes school-based in-service training, the exploitation of school-based curriculum and learning team; From the perspective of teacher themselves, it includes teaching reflection, observing other teachers' class and using micro-teaching to promote teachers' teaching skills.展开更多
Through the analysis of 86 valid questionnaires and twice follow-up interviews connected with twice MBI-ESs for the three chosen participants, this study shows that: 1) The job burnout syndrome of English teachers i...Through the analysis of 86 valid questionnaires and twice follow-up interviews connected with twice MBI-ESs for the three chosen participants, this study shows that: 1) The job burnout syndrome of English teachers in secondary schools is not very serious; 2) There's no significant difference between male and female teachers, between teachers in junior and senior middle schools or between teachers in key and average schools, but teachers with more teaching experience can often find a sense of personal achievement; 3) The causes of English teachers' job burnout in secondary schools lie in external factors, such as unreasonable school policy, student-management pressure, exam pressure, etc. and internal factors, such as knowledge exhaustion, lacking self-adjustment, etc.展开更多
Studying abroad (SA) is an important means for EFL teachers to develop their professional competence. This paper reports on an enquiry in Shandong Province, China, into a SA program for a group of 103 secondary scho...Studying abroad (SA) is an important means for EFL teachers to develop their professional competence. This paper reports on an enquiry in Shandong Province, China, into a SA program for a group of 103 secondary school English teachers. Drawing on questionnaire data and teachers' interview narratives, the paper examines how the SA experience influenced their self-perceptions of EFL teaching in three aspects, namely, language proficiency, teaching ideology and the comparison of native speaking and non-native speaking English teachers. The enquiry revealed that the length of SA was a powerful factor in determining teachers' attitudes toward their jobs and their own capacities to perform them successfully. These findings are discussed with suggestions for making SA experience an effective, sustainable path for secondary school English teachers' professional development.展开更多
This study investigated the assessment skills of secondary EFL teachers through analyzing the quality of test items on a municipal English examination for eighth graders in a city located in northern China. Data inclu...This study investigated the assessment skills of secondary EFL teachers through analyzing the quality of test items on a municipal English examination for eighth graders in a city located in northern China. Data included students' answers to test items as well as a post-test questionnaire and teachers' responses to semi-structured interviews. It was found that overall, the test functioned satisfactorily, with most items moderately easy yet discriminating, and high internal consistency and strong correlations among subscale scores. However, item analysis and content review of the test identified some items with incorrect or multiple keys, which may result from a combination of EFL teachers' inadequate language proficiency and their attempts to write attractive distractors.展开更多
Teacher identity formation provides a direction for the development of autonomy(Huang&Benson,2013).However,the process of identity formation is complex and how this process influences teacher autonomy has not been...Teacher identity formation provides a direction for the development of autonomy(Huang&Benson,2013).However,the process of identity formation is complex and how this process influences teacher autonomy has not been sufficiently studied.To contribute to knowledge in this field,the present study investigated the relationship between teachers’attitudes toward teacher identity and teacher autonomy.We first observed 14 Chinese College English teachers’classroom teaching.Following that,we conducted stimulated recall interviews with all the teachers to pinpoint their autonomous practices.Finally,we conducted semi-structured interviews to investigate these teachers’attitudes toward their identities.One of the main findings was that the teachers who held a positive attitude toward their professional identity were more autonomous in their teaching practices than those with a negative attitude.The findings invite us to conclude that teachers’attitudes toward their professional identity are positively associated with teacher autonomy.展开更多
文摘Internet education has appeared with the development of the lnternet. Since "lnternet+" has come up with in the 2015 government work report, it has become a hot word. "Intemet+" has been applied to traditional education, which has reformed the traditional English teaching in middle school. Nowadays, there are many applications in teaching, such as distance education, smart classroom, and so on. Moreover, with the popularizing of big data, it provides all kinds of information for teachers and students in time, helping teachers in middle school to master the process of study among students. Also, parents can know their children's performance in school through the big data. In education, the development of the Internet has gone through a few parts from the lowest applications to the complex applications. The applications in education are gradually accepted by every educator. There is no limit of time and space so that people can study anywhere, any time.
基金supported by the National Social Science Funding Project in China(16BYY080)。
文摘In view of a series of challenges since Task-Based Language Teaching(TBLT) was introduced into China, we interviewed 14 front-line teachers in primary and secondary schools about their viewpoints and classroom strategies of TBLT. The results show teachers’ willingness to use TBLT. They adopt flexible teaching procedures, apply TBLT creatively, and explore task-based language assessment. The authors argue for inclusive non-doctrinaire approaches to TBLT, and propose to construct localized TBLT theory and practice with Chinese characteristics.
文摘Sometimes foreign language teachers find formal instructions unrewarding. This paper intends to find answers to the problems found in the English teaching classroom at university level in China by reviewing the SLA theories on formal instruction and some pedagogical implications drawn from the findings are discussed.
文摘In China, the teaching of culture was stipulated to be very important at the government level in the form of a curriculum in early 2000s. Now although the teachers seem to be fully aware of the significance of culture teaching, there are misunderstandings about it. A survey was conducted to find out how the teachers understand and meet the requirements of the curriculums. The results show even the teachers do not understand the objectives of ELT (English Language Teaching) stipulated in the curriculums. They need training and the requirements need clarification, so that the gap between what is expected and what is performed can be bridged.
文摘EFL (English as a Foreign Language) speaking is a very demanding skill that requires learners' socio-pragmatic as well as strategic competence in any interactional situation, and lexis proves to play a crucial role in this process. However, few studies have investigated how both EFL teachers and learners view and analyze situations in which learners are not producing enough spoken language in class, and the reasons behind them. The present study will pinpoint the significant role of lexis in Moroccan learners' speaking production. To this end, 40 EFL teachers and 200 Moroccan high school students are surveyed and interviewed to reveal their perceptions of the speaking skill and the corresponding high significance of lexis in this instance. Results show that both teachers and learners identify vocabulary deficiency as the main factor behind students' inability to speak English. In the present paper, among the many suggestions that could be proposed to deal with this situation, it is argued that one efficient way would be to assist the students during the process of L2 (second language) vocabulary learning through vocabulary learning strategy instruction. Pedagogical and research implication will be given in response to the difficulties encountered in this area as have been identified by the EFL teachers and learners surveyed.
文摘In the field of second language acquisition, an increasing amount of research has been conducted on learner's beliefs. Few empirical studies, however, have been focused on students' conceptions of learning English (COLE). This study aims to assess conceptions of learning particularly in the domain of English. Data were collected through the COLE questionnaire among 284 college students in China. Seven factors of COLE are identified, such as "memorizing", "testing", "drill and practice", "increasing knowledge", "understanding", "application", and "seeing in a new way". These findings also provide some pedagogical implications for English language instructors and researchers.
文摘In China, it is widely believed that teacher feedback plays a crucial role in EFL writing course, exerting a great impact on the improvement of Chinese EFL students' writing abilities so that teachers have been required to deliver feedback on students' writings. Teachers, consequently, spare no pains to give feedback, expecting their students would make progress in their writing, but it seems that things go contrary to their wishes. Although there are various complicated factors contributing to the situation, one of the important factors lies in the teachers, a number of whom do not grasp a systematic and effective mechanism of delivering feedback on EFL student writing. Much importance has been attached to Chinese EFL student writing, however, rare attention has been paid to conducting research on concrete ways of delivering feedback on Chinese EFL student writing in China. Therefore, this paper serves to fill the gap, mainly devoting itself to exploring concrete methods of delivering teacher feedback on EFL student writing.
文摘For most universities and colleges in China, literary theory is taught at the graduate level of literary studies. Most English teachers think literary theory is such a complex field with jargon-ridden disciplines and concepts that it is often considered as "a hot potato" in classroom teaching. Based on a case study from "Approaching Fiction" in China Youth University of Political Studies (CYUPS), the present paper claims that application of literary theory in teaching literature not only greatly broadens students' horizon but also deepens their interpretation and understanding of literary works. With proper selection of teaching material and carefully designed teaching approaches, application of critical theory plays an increasingly important role in the undergraduate literature classroom.
文摘Enhancing the teaching quality of college English teachers in China is an important guarantee to improve the level of English teaching and is a realistic choice of promoting the sustainable development of English education. The article analyzes the basic quality that college English teachers should have and discusses the current English teaching status in order to improve the quality of English teachers and promote the development of English teaching in China.
文摘I am an Australian living in Quanzhou, Fujian Province. I am employed as an English conversation teacher in a local middle school. I enjoy reading China Today and would be interested in writing an article on my impression of Quanzhou, or my experiences as a teacher in middle school or other topics that may be of interest to your readers.
文摘Content-based instruction has been gaining widespread popularity in the teaching of both ESL and EFL. Despite its reported and recognized advantages, however, many English teachers fail to make full use of its content and benefits of language learning. In addition, there are comparatively few studies which offer theoretical foundation for content-based teaching and constructive suggestions for its integration in the settings of EFL. This article aims to connect theory with practice and help teachers of EFL in China to maximize the potential of content-based instruction. To achieve this goal, it first presents a short literature review on project-based instruction, followed by a summary of its advantages and beneficial outcomes of using the intemet in order to implement it. It then proposes an eight-step process for the sequencing of project work and finally demonstrate a real-world project specially designed for Chinese EFL students. Both the design and the teaching activities proposed can be easily transferred to other settings..
文摘In the modern times, the professional development of teachers is a hot topic among the educational world. Facilitating the professional development of teachers is one of a most important way to improve the teachers' personalities. However, how to facilitate the professional development of the novice English teacher in the secondary school is still a big and headache problem in front of all education managers and all novice English teachers. For this reason, it has a huge practical significance to look for some ways to research the professional development of the novice English teachers in secondary school. The objective of this research is to promote the professional development of novice English teachers in secondary school through a wide range of ways. It also aims to promote the whole personalities of all English teachers and the whole English teaching qualities. This paper wiU research in how to promote and facilitate the professional development of the novice English teachers in secondary school from the parts of country, school and teachers. Specificly speaking, from the perspective of country, it contains the way of some short trains for novice teachers from superior educational department and some educational action research; From the perspective of the secondary school, it includes school-based in-service training, the exploitation of school-based curriculum and learning team; From the perspective of teacher themselves, it includes teaching reflection, observing other teachers' class and using micro-teaching to promote teachers' teaching skills.
文摘Through the analysis of 86 valid questionnaires and twice follow-up interviews connected with twice MBI-ESs for the three chosen participants, this study shows that: 1) The job burnout syndrome of English teachers in secondary schools is not very serious; 2) There's no significant difference between male and female teachers, between teachers in junior and senior middle schools or between teachers in key and average schools, but teachers with more teaching experience can often find a sense of personal achievement; 3) The causes of English teachers' job burnout in secondary schools lie in external factors, such as unreasonable school policy, student-management pressure, exam pressure, etc. and internal factors, such as knowledge exhaustion, lacking self-adjustment, etc.
基金provided in part through the Foundation of Humanities and Social Science by the Chinese Ministry of Education(14YJA740013)
文摘Studying abroad (SA) is an important means for EFL teachers to develop their professional competence. This paper reports on an enquiry in Shandong Province, China, into a SA program for a group of 103 secondary school English teachers. Drawing on questionnaire data and teachers' interview narratives, the paper examines how the SA experience influenced their self-perceptions of EFL teaching in three aspects, namely, language proficiency, teaching ideology and the comparison of native speaking and non-native speaking English teachers. The enquiry revealed that the length of SA was a powerful factor in determining teachers' attitudes toward their jobs and their own capacities to perform them successfully. These findings are discussed with suggestions for making SA experience an effective, sustainable path for secondary school English teachers' professional development.
基金sponsored by "The Fundamental Research Funds of Shandong University"
文摘This study investigated the assessment skills of secondary EFL teachers through analyzing the quality of test items on a municipal English examination for eighth graders in a city located in northern China. Data included students' answers to test items as well as a post-test questionnaire and teachers' responses to semi-structured interviews. It was found that overall, the test functioned satisfactorily, with most items moderately easy yet discriminating, and high internal consistency and strong correlations among subscale scores. However, item analysis and content review of the test identified some items with incorrect or multiple keys, which may result from a combination of EFL teachers' inadequate language proficiency and their attempts to write attractive distractors.
基金funded by a joint scholarship between China Scholarship Council(CSC)and Macquarie University,Sydney,Australia
文摘Teacher identity formation provides a direction for the development of autonomy(Huang&Benson,2013).However,the process of identity formation is complex and how this process influences teacher autonomy has not been sufficiently studied.To contribute to knowledge in this field,the present study investigated the relationship between teachers’attitudes toward teacher identity and teacher autonomy.We first observed 14 Chinese College English teachers’classroom teaching.Following that,we conducted stimulated recall interviews with all the teachers to pinpoint their autonomous practices.Finally,we conducted semi-structured interviews to investigate these teachers’attitudes toward their identities.One of the main findings was that the teachers who held a positive attitude toward their professional identity were more autonomous in their teaching practices than those with a negative attitude.The findings invite us to conclude that teachers’attitudes toward their professional identity are positively associated with teacher autonomy.