Reading has always received a great deal of attention at both junior and senior high schools in Taiwan. However, reading ability of English after six years' learning is not satisfactory. The main problem is that students do not read for the main idea nor for the relationships between sentences. In addition, English reading skills, even at the college level, are limited to referring to the dictionary and analyzing sentence structures. The purpose of the present study is to explore this area; in particular, to determine the causes of and to provide solutions to the problem of reading difficulty by conducting a content analysis. This study focuses on a content analysis in four areas:(1) Analysis of reading comprehension questions, (2) analysis of gradation of readability, (3) analysis of gradation of structures, and (4) comparison of cohesive ties between Chinese and English written texts using similar topics. The text samples to be examined included two areas: (1) Book Six of The Standard English Textbook. This is the final volume of the series currently prescribed for senior high schools in Taiwan, and (2) three texts written in Chinese and English, with similar topics. It is hoped that some implications will be drawn from this study for improving the effectiveness of teaching reading in English at the secondary level in Taiwan.

In 1974 the Ministry for Higher Education stated that every scientist in Vietnam must know one or two foreign languages (one of them being English), and be able to use it for his work. But even now, the number of people who have acquired the language as required is still small. This paper examines the causes of this problem and possible remedies. What has caused the situation to change so slowly? The reasons may be several, but the most striking one is that teachers do not understand the nature of EST, so they try to teach scientists the same language forms in the same way as they do with young students at Foreign Language Colleges. Consequently, the learners know a lot about the language, but can use only a little. The paper considers several aspects of the situation. Scientists and technologists need to learn only the language forms often used in scientific literature and the skills needed for their work. For this reason, teachers must first identify the learners' needs, then draw up a list of objectives of the course, look for relevant materials and use appropriate methods of teaching. To help teachers to do these things, a training programme is needed. The training will familiarize the teachers with key scientific concepts, characteristics of EST, and the way to place learners in appropriate groups. Several approaches to ESP/EST are examined, but EST learners in Vietnam are rather different from those in other countries, so a special model for an EST course is designed ; an example of a reading course to illustrate the model is given for teachers to refer to. Finally, some suggestions are offered to solve problems arising from present EST courses.

The significance of the use of the short story in language teaching and the effective approaches that help to realise this significance are the two major concerns of this field study. The whole study consists of two parts : theoretical justification and practical application, with more emphasis on the second part. It starts with a brief discussion on the inseparable connection between language learning and literature (Chapter 1), followed by a close examination at the specialities and potentialities short stories can offer to language teaching (Chapter 2), which leads to a detailed discussion (accompanied by an exemplified demonstration through sample lessons) of the actual use of short stories in an EFL class (Chapters 3, 4, and 5). The practical value of the study lies in two aspects : it brings about, by analysing its substances, the awareness of the value of the short story in language teaching; and it opens to us, by presenting detailed and concrete examples, varied and practical approaches to the effective use of the short story in EFL environment.

The language laboratory has been used in china for foreign language teaching for many years. Unfortunately, not all the language laboratories have been fully utilised and well administered. It is therefore essential for Chinese EFL teachers to become aware of the existing problems and explore avenues for improving the use of the language laboratory. This study aims to identify and to analyse the problems involving materials, methodology and administration in the use of the language laboratory and to discuss possible ways of solving or, at least, reducing these problems. The language laboratory itself is only a mechanical teaching aid. Language laboratory materials, teaching methods and the administration of the language laboratory are fundamental parameters which determine the effective use of the language laboratory. In this study, a review on the different theories and recent developments of language laboratory usage are examined. This is followed by a description of the problem areas in the use of the language laboratory in China. A survey on language laboratory use in Australia is offered as a model for comparison. Finally, implications are put forward and suggestions are made to Chinese EFL teachers in the hope that this may lead to more effective and efficient use of language laboratories in the future.

Pronunciation is an important component of English teaching, particularly in a non-English speaking country like China, where students' exposure to the target language may be only listening to tapes or to the teacher in class, or occasionally watching a film in English, if these audio-visual facilities are available. However, the majority of teachers do not pay enough attention to pronunciation because it always competes for class times with other aspects of language teaching. Moreover, it is not usually tested. As a result, after several years of studying English, some students still cannot speak or read aloud with any degree of accuracy or fluency. Therefore it is essential that in China, the teacher's professional inventory should include acquaintance with basic articulatory phonetics and the phonological system of English, because the teacher is inevitably a pronunciation model for the student. Furthermore, the correction of students' aberrant pronunciation is a continuing task throughout years of teaching at different levels, and one which requires patience and alertness as well as effective techniques. With the rapid development of education in China, the problem of effective teaching of pronunciation has become more prominent. According to the government's plan, the number of students planned to be enrolled in tertiary institutions alone will increase by 42.2 per cent from 1981 to 1985. Foreign language teaching, in theory, starts from the third year of primary school and continues right through the second year of college. The training of teachers at these levels, especially at the primary and secondary levels, is a serious problem. Pronunciation is an inescapable part of language teaching. The questions raised in this paper and the suggestions made may, in part, assist with the training of the large numbers of effective speakers of foreign languages that China needs.

English pronunciation instruction is not a common component of most language classrooms, with the large majority of ESL/EFL teachers lacking the knowledge and expertise to successfully reduce their students’ segmental and suprasegmental pronunciation errors. Therefore, this report aims to provide English teachers with the necessary instructional goals, priorities, and suggestions to guide students in their pronunciation improvement, both during a course and beyond. The first chapter reviews the pronunciation education strategies of the past, and proceeds to offer contemporary approaches for English instructors and learners focusing on autonomous student strategy use. Secondly, the pedagogical priorities for pronunciation improvement in the short and long-term, for both segmental and suprasegmental features, are identified. The third chapter offers suggestions for teachers on how to use these goals and priorities within a course, as well as discussing classroom environments conducive for pronunciation improvement. This report makes a case for the importance of student empowerment through the utilization of autonomous learning strategies, allowing students to take control over their individual language acquisition process. / text

abstract: The study develops a better understanding of what is valued in L2 academic writing in IEP and FYC programs through a comparative case study approach, identifying the assumptions and underlying values of program directors and instructors in both types of instructional settings. The goal of the study is to understand more about second language writing pedagogy for international students in these programs, as well as to provide university administrators with a better understanding of how to improve writing instruction for multilingual students, who have become a key part of the U.S. higher education mission. Data include program-level mission statements, course descriptions and objectives, curricular materials, as well as interviews with teachers and program directors. Major findings show that there is a tension between language-focused vs. rhetoric-focused approaches to second language writing instruction in the two contexts. IEP instruction sought to build on students' language proficiency, and writing instruction was rooted in a conception of writing as language organized by structural principles, while the FYC program emphasized writing as a tool for communication and personal growth. Based on these findings, I provide recommendations for improving graduate education for all writing teachers, developing more comprehensive needs analysis procedures, and establishing administrative structures to support international multilingual students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2014

Three EFL classrooms in primary schools in Greece were introduced to dyslexia friendly practices so as to explore whether dyslexic pupils’ inclusion was enhanced. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the dyslexia friendly practices on dyslexic and non-dyslexic EFL pupils’ performance and motivation. EFL teachers’ experiences of the introduction of the dyslexia friendly practices were also explored. Classroom observations, focus groups and teacher and pupil interviews before and during the introduction of the dyslexia friendly practices were conducted. A personal research diary was kept throughout the whole study. It was shown that, the dyslexia friendly practices enhanced dyslexic EFL pupils’ participation in classroom activities and increased their motivation towards learning English. However, less visible changes were shown in their performance. In contrast to the dyslexic EFL pupils, most of their non-dyslexic peers showed improvements in both their motivation and performance. All three EFL teachers experienced positively the introduction of the dyslexia friendly practices while the need for more training on dyslexia was highlighted. These findings indicate that the dyslexia friendly practices enhance inclusion for dyslexic pupils in foreign language education and have positive effects on all classroom pupils and the teachers’ practice. This study contributes to the field of language teaching for dyslexic pupils and suggests a need for more studies on dyslexia support in foreign, second and additional language learning contexts.

Kelsey Wort's Masters thesis

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of teachers' error feedback on ESL students' self-correction ability. One hundred and nineteen international students enrolled in ESL composition classes at Brigham Young University's English Language Center participated in this research. The participants were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: (1) a coded feedback group, (2) a non-coded feedback group, and (3) a no-feedback control group. All participants were asked to write an in-class essay and to self-correct their grammatical errors during 20-minute time period. A grammar test and attitudinal survey were administered at the same time.