Journal of English Language and Linguistics

English Teachers’ Awareness towards Sustainable Development Goals: Myanmar Context

Ni Ni Hlaing — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0700

Teacher sustainability involves teachers’ participation in activities or courses related to Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, university commitment to achieving a sustainable future through initiatives and activities that are mainly used to integrate sustainability issues into educational programmes is also very important. However, despite the gradually added experience of implementing on education aimed at achieving SDGs, factors that contribute to the associated learning outcomes at the institutional level are yet to be completely explored. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the individual and institutional-level factors connected with the desired learning outcomes in the areas of Sustainable Development Goals. The results highlight several considerations on awareness of English teachers to achieve a sustainable future in Myanmar that may develop the effectiveness of teaching and learning in these areas. Moreover, participants suggest the sources from which they obtained the knowledge they have on each topic. The obligation of Myanmar universities to a stronger integration of sustainability issues into educational programmes still requires to be expanded. As a result, there is a great need for forward-looking programs that will complete the quality education while going beyond the current goals. A future education program must explore how education systems should adjust to deal with new challenges and provide to peace and sustainable development. Finally, the study showed the requirements for awareness of English teachers and university obligation to achieve a sustainable

English Language Teachers’ Knowledge of SDGs and their Attitudes towards Incorporating SDGs in ELT in Myanmar

Win Kyi Kyi Naing, Aye Aye Mar — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0700

Numerous activities related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been implemented by governments, development partners, civil society and university networks since 2000. In view of the preparations for the post 2015 education agenda, key stakeholders participated in global consultations and conferences that UNESCO organised to address the issues. At the regional level, UNESCO has been supporting the efforts of member countries by promoting a culture of patience, understanding and peace in formal and non-formal educational systems. The scope of involvement for peace education and democracy will be broadened by ensuring the integration in the national sector policy documents, learning/ training, curricula, teacher training and socio-cultural environment to mainstream peace education and conflict prevention and preparedness in the education strategic plans. The references will have been used in various countries, targeting different thematic areas. Thus, EFL teachers are currently also teaching literature with respect for all SDG 4 goal with the objective of strengthening educational responses to reduce poverty, within the nation-state and promote respect for all. Learners today are required to develop a comprehensive understanding of local, national, and global challenges, so that they can influence the political, social, cultural, economic, and environmental development both in their societies and their personal lives. This study discusses achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Myanmar in the post-pandemic era, with a particular focus on knowledge and attitudes of English teachers. A very good level of knowledge among teachers is limited to some topics, such as the Greenhouse effect (78.95%) and Resilience (10.53%), which may be better known due to wider media coverage. Sustainability issues are not yet considered as a shared responsibility, as teaching in designated hours was often suggested. The commitment of Myanmar teachers and universities to a stronger integration of sustainability issues into educational programmes still needs to be improved. A change of perspective is urgently needed, whereby sustainability education should be seen as a collective responsibility. As a result, there is a strong need for a forward-looking agenda that will complete the quality education while going beyond the current goals. A future education agenda must explore how education systems should adapt to tackle new challenges and contribute to peace and sustainable development.

Foreign Visitors’ Satisfaction towards English Oral Communication with Thai Vendors in Khon Kaen Province

Sattra Sahatsathatsana, Suphattra Singban, Khanitta Rosdee, Jonathan Wary — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0700

This study's objectives were: 1) to determine the level of satisfaction foreign visitors have with the English oral communication skills of Thai vendors in Khon Kaen province; and 2) to identify the difficulties foreign visitors encounter when communicating in English with Thai vendors in Khon Kaen province. The study included 52 respondents who had experience communicating in English with Thai vendors while visiting the province of Khon Kaen. They were selected by the convenience and availability sampling method. This study utilized a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview as research instruments. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), and the interview information was analyzed using descriptive statistics.

The findings revealed that the majority of foreign visitors were male, aged 21 to 40, and from countries where English is not the official language. Respondents reported being moderately satisfied with the English-speaking proficiency of Thai vendors, resulting in a mean score of 2.75 on the overall communication proficiency scale. In addition, the findings revealed that respondents were moderately content with the English listening proficiency of Thai vendors, as indicated by a mean score of 2.96. According to the respondents, the most significant barrier to effective communication with Thai vendors is their lack of vocabulary, which is essential for effective communication.

Using Video Recording Technique to Increase Students’ Vocabulary

cheewarat silapun, Poonsuk Jantasin — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0700

This study aims to (1) compare students’ vocabulary before and after using video recording technique (VRT) (2) study students’ vocabulary learning retention after using VRT and (3) study students’ experience towards using VRT. This research involved 10 Business English major students who were enrolled in Listening and Speaking for Business English 2 Course at Roi Et Rajabhat University. The participants were selected using a purposive sampling technique. This research was mixed-method research. The data was collected through vocabulary test (administered as pre-test, post-test and delayed-test) and semi-structured interview. The data were analysed using mean, standard deviation, paired sample t-test and thematic analysis.

The findings indicate that (1) the score of the post-test was statistically significantly higher than the pre-test at the .05 level. (2) The score of the pre-test was statistically significantly higher than the delayed post-test at the .05 level. The students’ vocabulary retention was 91.61%. (3) All of the participants agreed that VRT is an effective way to increase their vocabulary

Cameroon English Accent in a Diasporic Context: Perceptions of ESL Cameroonian Teachers in Thailand

Brian Akabagy Enyiawah, Dr. Eric A. Ambele — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0700

This study investigates the accent attitudes of 52 ESL Cameroonian teachers in Thailand towards Cameroon English (CamE) accent. Motivated by the desire to know more about the treatment that CamE accent receives among the Cameroonian community in Thailand, an aspect that had hitherto received little attention, a matched-guise technique and a language attitude questionnaire were used to investigate the phenomenon of linguistic prejudice on the part of the participants. Semantic differential scales, descriptive statistical processing, and thematic analyses were employed to process and interpret the data. Overall, the results show the participants’ positive attitudes towards CamE accent. The participants reported that mutual intelligibility and authenticity prevail over language purism, indicating that CamE accent is gaining more recognition even in the diaspora and can stand as an autonomous accent given the global role/uses of English as an international language. This implies that non-native speakers should not be stigmatized or feel linguistically insecured because of their accent since attitudinal judgments are more of a result of linguistic prejudices.

Impacting Attitudes towards Reading in Secondary School Students: A Direct Reading Strategy Intervention

Nasser Omer Mubarak Al-Tamimi — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0700

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the direct reading strategy instruction (DRSI) would be effective in enhancing attitudes towards reading in Yemeni pre-university students who study English as a foreign language. Participants were 60 Yemeni students who were given the adult survey of reading attitude questionnaire before and after the treatment to investigate their attitudes towards reading after four months of focus on reading strategy instruction DRSI is the core of this investigation (the independent variable) whereas reading attitude (the dependent variable) constitutes the target of DRSI activities. The data for this study were collected through using adult survey of reading attitude questionnaire (ASRA). The results revealed significant improvement in reading attitudes of students in the experimental group compared to their pre-test performance and to that of the control group. The mean scores of the experimental group in the pre-and post-ASRA were 2.28 and 3.81 respectively, indicating an improvement in their attitudes towards reading. However, the mean scores of the control group in the pre and post ASRA were 2.39 and 2.35 respectively, indicating no improvement in their attitudes towards reading. Such results are consistent with some related studies which suggest that strategy-based instruction could be rewarding for improving reading attitudes.