Campers’ Views on the Effects of English Immersion Camp Initiatives for Aural/Oral Skills Development of Pre- and In-Service EFL Teachers

Abstract

This study examines the effects of three English language immersion camps on the participants. Capitalizing on Participatory Action Research, and informed by Experiential Learning and Social Constructivism, these camps constitute an attempt by a Brazilian Amazonian university to mitigate the lack of fluency and proficiency in English among EFL initial teacher education students and state school teachers of English in the region. Data gathered through interviews and participant observation notes were analyzed following a thematic analysis approach. Results suggest expansion of the participants" English vocabulary and knowledge of the American culture, and development of listening and speaking skills. Additionally, a comparison of discourse themes emerging from this study with those from other similar investigations indicates high resonance between them, suggesting that these programs may be a reliable alternative mode of instruction for additional language education, and reinforcing the theory that massive target language comprehensible input and output generate language learning.

The Direct Method in English Language Instruction for Primary School Students in Santarém-PA: An Experience of TESOL Undergraduates

“…By doing so, children would have the opportunity to become literate in two languages, potentially paving the way for state bilingual education. However, given the challenges underscored by Hitotuzi (2020), Lazarini and Vedovello (2023, p. 13) posit that the implementation of bilingual education in state schools in this country remains "a distant dream to achieve." This is compounded by the fact that only a fortunate few, due to their favourable financial circumstances, can provide this type of education for their children through the private sector.…”

EAL Teachers’ Beliefs About the Assessment of Language Learning in State-Funded Primary and Secondary Schools

“…The reliability of this mode of assessment is dependant mostly upon the amount of time the teacher can spend on examining the activities in the pupils' notebooks. The teaching conditions under which teachers work in Brazil can be an impediment to this kind of assessment -overcrowded classrooms and too many classes to teach are two of several challenges faced by schoolteachers in this country (Hitotuzi, 2020). Anecdotal reports from pre-service teachers attending the initial teacher education programme from an Amazonian university reveal that often teachers put check marks on their pupils' notebook pages without examining the pupils' answers in detail.…”

“…Why should the teacher avoid checking on his or her pupils' oral skills? To cut a historically long story short, not a few EAL schoolteachers in Brazil have serious difficulties when it comes to speaking and listening comprehension in English (Gonçalves, 2020;Hitotuzi, 2020;Assunção & Hitotuzi, in press) and, these skills are possibly their Achilles' heel.…”