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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Student Surveys; Qualitative Research; Statistical Analysis; Expectation; Elementary School Students; School Choice; Parent Attitudes; Intergroup Relations; Student Diversity; Learning Problems; Learning Processes; Friendship; Peer Relationship; Language of Instruction; Developing Nations; Outcomes of Education; Chinese; Code Switching (Language); Ethnic Diversity; Religious Cultural Groups; Religious Factors

Abstract:
This study surveys 200 Malay students enrolled in three Chinese primary schools in relation to three issues, i.e., parental choice of schooling, learning processes and inter-ethnic friendship patterns. The three issues are explored through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Parental expectations for their children's learning and academic outcomes emerge as the dominant factor influencing Malay enrollment in Chinese primary schools. Unfortunately, the Malay students are unable to meet these high expectations due to learning difficulties that stem from the lack of proficiency in the Chinese-medium of instruction, despite intervening measures by the school authorities. Their learning difficulties are also compounded by the lack of parental inputs as well as the limited use of code-switching by teachers. Meanwhile, the fostering of inter-ethnic friendships is impeded by ethnic differences, the rise of Islamic awareness and the increased numerical size of Malay students. However, there is a willingness among the Malay students to interact with the Chinese students through task-related activities, indicating that the fostering of inter-ethnic friendships needs to be guided by a convergence of interests. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
English for Academic Purposes; Foreign Countries; Reading Comprehension; Multiple Regression Analysis; Vocabulary Development; Reading Strategies; Comparative Analysis; Academic Achievement; Syntax; Metacognition; Predictor Variables; Native Language; Language of Instruction

Abstract:
As far as academic reading comprehension is concerned, a network of linguistic skills and strategies operate in a complex and integrated matter. Since it is impossible to examine all the factors affecting reading comprehension all at once, it is more reasonable to compare and contrast the predictive effects of specific variables against each other and elicit the role of each of them in determining academic performance. For this reason, the present study aims to investigate whether specifically the depth of vocabulary knowledge, syntactic awareness or metacognitive awareness was a more powerful predictor of academic reading comprehension. 45 students from the English Language Teaching Department in an English-medium foundation university in Turkey participated in the study. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that with a sample of homogenous first language (L1) background learners, depth of vocabulary knowledge was not a strong predictor of academic reading comprehension for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students. However, it was found that syntactic awareness was a significant predictor of academic reading comprehension in second language (L2) and of the investigated variables, metacognitive reading strategies have much to contribute to academic reading comprehension. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teaching Methods; Teacher Education; Curriculum Design; Foreign Countries; Language Planning; Mandarin Chinese; Case Studies; Elementary School Students; Literacy; Teacher Attitudes; Student Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes; Principals; Multilingualism; Bilingual Education; Language of Instruction; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Sino Tibetan Languages

Abstract:
Since 1997, the "biliterate and trilingual" policy has been adopted by the Hong Kong government, and is now guiding the curriculum design in Hong Kong primary schools. This language policy aims to ensure that Hong Kong students become biliterate (written English and Chinese) and trilingual (spoken English, Cantonese and Putonghua). However, Hong Kong primary schools currently do not have an agreed method for the implementation of trilingual education. As a preliminary step in the investigation of methods of the implementation of trilingual education in Hong Kong primary schools, we carried out a detailed case study of the trilingual education model adopted in a primary school. Views of key stakeholders (the principal, teachers, students and parents), on how successful the model is, were collected, and a number of lessons taught using English, Cantonese or Putonghua as the medium of instruction were recorded and analysed. On the basis of the research findings, a possible model for implementing trilingual education in Hong Kong primary schools has been suggested. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Evidence; Foreign Countries; Bilingualism; Educational Policy; Discourse Analysis; Elementary Education; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes; Interviews; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; French; Language of Instruction

Abstract:
This research builds on several layers of meaning representing views from education officials, head teachers, teachers and pupils to investigate the discourse and implementation of official bilingualism policy in primary schools in Cameroon. While at the macro-level, the celebration of the "National Bilingualism Day" in schools has tended to suggest that the country's option for bilingualism is a success, at the micro-level, views from the participants researched indicate that the implementation of official bilingualism policy is still far from a reality. The exploration of participants' views at various levels showed how they grounded their accounts within the context of everyday practice and highlighted issues related to official bilingualism inefficiency, although statistics at a national level rather point to an apparent success of the policy in schools. While some adults seemed to operate double standards regarding their perception of policy application, the pupils' views were more straightforward, based on the evidence of classroom daily teaching and learning interaction. (Contains 9 figures and 19 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Faculty Workload; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Foreign Countries; Bilingualism; Language of Instruction; Surveys; Questionnaires; Geographic Location; Universities

Abstract:
English-taught Programmes (ETPs) have increased exponentially in European universities over the last 10 years, leading to growing numbers of bilingual graduates. This study reports on the most recent survey of ETPs in Italian higher education. A questionnaire completed in 2010 by 50% of Italian universities addressed both organisational factors (including the number of ETPs, reasons for adoption and difficulties in implementation) and pedagogical factors (including recruitment and teachers' competencies). The findings paint a heterogeneous picture, with ETPs expanding but still not universal. Issues are analysed according to university type (public/private) and location, since the divisions between the wealthy, industrialised North, the Centre and the less developed South are largely reflected in the profile and status of universities in each geographical zone. All institutions show a clear-cut focus on content over language. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Policy; Educational Demand; Global Education; Foreign Countries; International Schools; Social Class; Labor Market; Language of Instruction; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Foreign Nationals; Educational Change; Private Schools; Language Role; Institutional Characteristics

Abstract:
This article discusses how in South Korea, English-medium international schools, initially established to educate foreign residents, have recently transformed themselves into private providers of global education for South Koreans. The article explains the social, economic and political circumstances under which the South Korean government has allowed this transformation to take place in response to the forces of globalisation as well as to South Korean elites' educational demand. The article argues that English-medium international schools are elite-class reproducing institutions. The role of English, one of the major imperatives of global capitalism, will also be discussed, as this language has been impinging on South Korea's education and labour market. (Contains 1 table and 9 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Classification; Language of Instruction; Second Language Learning; Academic Discourse; Cues; Writing (Composition); Computational Linguistics; Undergraduate Students; Graduate Students; College Faculty; Teacher Attitudes; Language Styles

Abstract:
As demand for English-medium higher education continues to grow internationally and participation in higher education increases, the need for a better understanding of academic writing is pressing. Prior university wide taxonomies of student writing have relied on intuition, the opinions of faculty, or data from course documentation and task prompts. In contrast, our classification is grounded in analysis of all 2858 BAWE (British Academic Written English) corpus texts actually produced by undergraduate and taught postgraduate university students in England for assessment purposes. This builds on the American tradition of classifying university student writing tasks (e.g. Horowitz 1986; Hale "et al." 1996; Melzer 2009) and the very different Australian tradition of classifying primary and secondary school children's written texts as genres (e.g. Martin and Rothery 1986; Coffin 2006). Understanding our classification of 13 genre families enables more meaningful interrogation of the BAWE corpus by teachers and researchers. The diversity in student genres across disciplines and levels of study is noteworthy for academic writing materials developers and all interested in the nature of higher education. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Language Planning; International Schools; Bilingual Education; War; Monolingualism; Foreign Countries; Educational Policy; Chinese; Educational Development; Educational Change; English (Second Language); Indonesian; Language of Instruction; Language Variation; Educational Finance; Nationalism; Educational History; School Segregation

Abstract:
The two decades from 1950 to 1970 were a crucial period of educational reorganization in Malaysia that stemmed from the decolonization after the Second World War. This educational reorganization sought to address the perennial issue of nation building via educational language policy. The development of Chinese education was under severe threat as the British colonial government opted for a national school system that used English and Malay as the media of instruction in place of the segregated vernacular school system that had existed during the colonial period. Much to the relief of the Chinese, the national school system failed to materialize due to the lack of financial resources to reorganize the entire educational system. But the Chinese were unable to maintain the Chinese school system within the ambit of the national educational system advocated by the postcolonial Alliance government. The Alliance government had only allowed the Chinese to undergo Chinese education at the primary level. At the secondary level, it opted for a monolingual system of education based on Malay as the main medium of instruction in order to foster national integration through a common language. The Chinese had to switch to this medium of instruction if they wanted to remain in mainstream education. Such a system of transitional bilingual education was aimed at incorporating the Chinese into the nation building process. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Native Speakers; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Study Abroad; Language Proficiency; Second Language Learning; Japanese; Native Language; Language of Instruction; Oral Language; Cloze Procedure; Language Tests; Evaluators; College Students; Educational Experience

Abstract:
This preliminary study examined the effect of proficiency and study abroad experience on L2 learners' ability to produce routines. Participants were 64 Japanese students in an English-medium university in Japan. They were divided into three groups: Group 1 had lower proficiency with no study abroad experience, Group 2 had higher proficiency but no study abroad experience, and Group 3 had higher proficiency with study abroad experience. They completed an oral discourse completion test involving four situations that elicited routines. Participants' performance was evaluated based on three aspects: appropriateness (rated by native speakers), planning time, and speech rate. Results revealed a significant effect of proficiency combined with study abroad experience on all three aspects. (Contains 9 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Program Effectiveness; Teaching Methods; English (Second Language); Immersion Programs; Microteaching; Secondary School Teachers; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Language of Instruction; Language Fluency; Measures (Individuals); Inservice Teacher Education; Linguistic Performance; Content Area Reading

Abstract:
This exploratory study focuses on four non-native English speaking secondary content teachers in a short-term immersion program aimed at introducing them to language teaching methods for secondary school content instruction through the medium of English. Such programs have been found to have largely mixed results for language performance. This may be especially true of programs for teachers because task adequacy in teaching may not be shown by improved scores on traditional language performance measures. This study uses multiple complexity, accuracy and fluency measures to analyze transcripts of paired peer microteaching tasks at the beginning and end of a ten-week program. Analysis of the results shows that in general the teachers' language performances improved, but that there were complex interactions among the measures. In general the performance measures reflected task adequacy, but they may have been affected by nonlinguistic factors such as teaching aims. Although the study is limited because of its small size, it suggests that teacher language performances are complex and dynamic, and that even short-term programs with non-linguistic aims can have a positive effect on language performances. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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