The practice of policy: Teacher attitudes toward “English only”

McMillan, Brian; Rivers, Damian J.

doi:10.1016/j.system.2011.04.011

Cited by 126 publications

(142 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Rezvani and Eslami (2011) did an explanatory study of code-switching (CS) between English and Farsi by four Iranian English foreign language (EFL) teachers and found that: (1) CS could be a good device for bilingual teachers when learners and teachers share the same ethnic and cultural background; and (2) L1 use in the classroom contributes to better learners' comprehension and better teacher-student relationship. In a survey at a Japanese university, where L1 use was officially banned, McMillan and Rivers (2011) discovered that use of L1 in FL classrooms promoted cognition, communication, and social functions in language classrooms. In this context L1 use was officially banned.…”

Section: Empirical Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Language Use in Teaching a Foreign Language: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Findings

Ostovar-Namaghi¹,

Norouzi²

2015

UCFL

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Although theoretical perspectives and empirical findings support the facilitative role of first language use in teaching a foreign or second language, in some contexts practitioners are reluctant to make use of this resource and those who use it feel guilty. This shows that language teaching follows social norms and expectations rather than principles of language teaching and learning. To demystify the role of mother tongue in language education, this study aimed at: reviewing the theoretical perspectives and empirical finings related to first language use; drawing implications for practitioners and other interested stakeholders. The review clearly shows that, among other things, teachers can use the mother tongue judiciously and reasonably to: arouse a sense of security in learners; build background prior to reading, listening, speaking, and writing tasks and activities; maximize intake by using L1 (first language) to make the input comprehensible; avoid giving learners the feeling of identity-threatened by the total rejection of their mother tongue; and help students with comprehension problems when L2 (second language) fails or is not effective.

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Section: Empirical Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Language Use in Teaching a Foreign Language: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Findings

Ostovar-Namaghi¹,

Norouzi²

2015

UCFL

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“…In another study, Rezvani and EslamiRasekh (2011) did an explanatory study on Iranian English foreign language teachers of elementary level in Isfahan, Iran and found judicious and skillful use of the first language can boost the quality of teaching. To verify the results of the previous studies, McMillan and Rivers (2011) by doing an attitude survey at a Japanese university with 29 native English speaker teachers discovered that use of L1 in FL classrooms can promote cognition, communication and social functions in language classrooms. Mahmudi and Yazdiamirkhiz (2011) explored the ideas of both teachers and students about L1 use in two pre-university classes in Ahvaz, Iran and found that excessive use of Persian (their L1) in L2 classes had a de-motivating effect on learners.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 84%

Differentiated Use of the Cross-Lingual Strategy in Foreign Language Teaching: A Grounded Theory

Ostovar-Namaghi¹,

Norouzi²

2015

SUET

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Despite its potential in foreign language education, the cross-lingual strategy has been marginalized and stigmatized in many EFL contexts including language education in private language schools of Iran. This study aims to uncover the facilitative role of the cross-lingual strategy in foreign language instruction by theorizing experienced language teachers' practice. To this end, some experienced teachers were selected in line with the sampling procedures of Grounded Theory from famous English language institutes of Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Iterative data collection and analysis revealed that first language use can be differentiated based on learners' level of proficiency.For the beginners, it can be used to present classroom management rules, provide learners with the necessary classroom language and establish rapport. Similarly, at intermediate level L1 can be used to check mastery over the teaching points, give vocabulary equivalents, and explain writing rules. As for advanced learners, it can be used to explain the subtleties of grammar and provide learners with ideas to participate in classroom discussion and text processing.

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“…Even today, Japanese EFL students of all levels of schooling maintain relatively low levels of communicative English skills, consistently scoring low marks in international English tests in comparison to their neighbouring Asian nations (Machida & Walsh, 2015;McMillan & Rivers, 2011). This raises the question of why, despite the policies issued by MEXT regarding FL education, are Japanese EFL students not achieving higher levels of practical English skills.…”

Section: Japanese Identity and Efl Education In Japanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learner Perspectives on National Identity and EFL Education in Japan : Report of a Questionnaire Study

Turnbull¹

2017

The Journal of AsiaTEFL

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Although the Japanese discourse of nihonjinron argues that the increasing hegemony of the English language will have negative effects on the Japanese identity, some scholars have suggested the opposite, that English in Japan plays a significant role in strengthening and maintaining the ideologies of the Japanese national identity. This paper investigates the potential for both positive and/or negative impacts of English education in Japan by analysing the attitudes and perspectives of 97 Japanese tertiary-level EFL students towards the study of English on Japan's national and cultural identity. The findings suggest that support for the theories of the nihonjinron discourse are not as strong amongst the younger generation in Japan as what they once were. Participants identified the Japanese language as a constituent element of national identity, and it is therefore suggested that removing Japanese from the EFL classroom entirely, as has been advocated for in foreign language policies, may actually cultivate negative ideologies towards the study of English in general. The findings suggest the need to build a positive relationship between the English language as a support for Japanese identity if we are to see an improvement in Japanese students' attitudes toward, and development of, EFL on the whole.

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The practice of policy: Teacher attitudes toward “English only”

Cited by 126 publications

References 24 publications

First Language Use in Teaching a Foreign Language: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Findings

First Language Use in Teaching a Foreign Language: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Findings

Differentiated Use of the Cross-Lingual Strategy in Foreign Language Teaching: A Grounded Theory

Learner Perspectives on National Identity and EFL Education in Japan : Report of a Questionnaire Study

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