No abstract

Vocabulary as an undeniable part of language learning is a main component in communication which requires to be taught in innovative ways. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of musical mnemonic on vocabulary recalling, and long-term retention of words by young learners. The design of study was experimental. Sixty teenagers from Shokoh Language Institute in small town of Khorramdare, Iran participated in the study. To conduct the study, participants were divided into experimental and control groups. A list of 14 words were harmonized to melody of mentioned song and recorded in a professional studio. Validity of the words were examined by Lawsh CVR (Content Validity Ratio) and CVI (Content Validity Index). The results from Independent T-Tests indicated that experimental group outscored control group. Regarding research questions, it was found that musical mnemonic improves vocabulary recalling of experimental group in comparison to control group. In addition, results related to research questions showed that musical mnemonic help learners better understand words in new contexts. The findings imply that musical mnemonic can improve memory, and comprehension by practicing, and using melodic and rhythmic information.

No abstract

Literature in the field of TESOL recruitment practices suggests that the myth of monolingual speakerism has impacted the employment methods in various countries in the world. The monolingual (native) speaker has a privileged position in English language teaching, representing both the model speaker and the ideal teacher. Bilingual teachers of English are often perceived as less competent than their monolingual counterparts in Oman. The aim of the study was to critically explore and problematize the recruitment practices that discriminate the bilingual English teachers in Oman. This article reports the findings of a small-scale qualitative study conducted at an English Language Center (ELC) at one of the colleges of technology in Oman (CoTs) through obtaining data from bilingual teachers of English. The results demonstrated that the native (monolingual) speakers’ fallacy is “alive and kicking” in Oman. All the recruiting agencies prefer to recruit monolingual speakers justifying this stance on the pretext that bilinguals are viewed as incompetent imitators of English. There is also a huge discrimination based on salary range between monolingual and bilingual teachers, despite doing same job. Colonial impact is another reason behind monolingual speakers’ preference. The impact of discrimination is that bilingual teachers of English are left feeling inferior. Hence, it is essential to adopt policies, which install greater sense of job security to enhance motivation and innovation. The study suggests that there is an urgent need to review the recruitment practices in Oman to establish equality and to create a healthy working environment.

No abstract