Suchergebnisse

The induction of new English teachers is not often made the focus of language programs. In many institutions, the orientation experience receives little attention, resulting in work-related stress at the beginning of an instructor's teaching contract. Consequently, not only the quality of teaching is affected but also the teachers' motivation and perception of the program. This research article analyses the results of a case study of an innovation to a new teacher induction in a language program in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. For this, the case study was based on two-way communication between the administration and the teaching staff through direct feedback, the consideration of language program management principles, as well as the application of a teacher survey after implementation. As a result, the innovation to the induction of new teachers seemed to reduce teachers' job-related stress during the first week of classes, thus helping to create a learning environment where the program, its teachers, and its students benefit as a whole.

English language textbooks are widely used as one of the essential resources in education. In Ecuador, local authorities created specific course books for state schools and high schools called pedagogical modules. Hence, the terms pedagogical textbook, course book, and modules will be used interchangeably. This study aims to explore perceptions of Ecuadorian English as a Foreign Language teachers on implementing the pedagogical modules to state schools, which were provided by the Ministry of Education. Besides, participants will provide perceptions on the connection of the mentioned textbooks with the Ecuadorian National Curriculum. The study includes an exploratory qualitative design using a focus group interview with eight EFL teachers from primary and secondary schools. The focus group interview findings indicated that teachers have both positive and negative perceptions towards using these pedagogical textbooks. Teachers agree that these pedagogical modules promote English learning success in a contextualized and authentic way by connecting aspects from the curriculum and current ELT principles. Nonetheless, all of the teachers indicated that integrating the pedagogical modules to state schools was, in many ways, disorganized. Based on the results, this study suggests constructive changes to specialists in charge of creating and editing EFL pedagogical modules.

The teaching staff in Lund, having reviewed the above-stated guidelines developed in Goteborg, couldn't adopt the guidelines without further discussion. Among their concerns were the requirement that all articles be written in the same language, rather than permitting (as an example) a mix of Swedish and English articles, and the lack of any requirement that the articles be accepted for publication. They furthermore concluded that the development of guidelines could benefit from national oversight on the part of an organization such as the Statsvetenskapliga Forbundet. They also stated that data should be gathered on practices among faculty at institutions other than the one at Goteborg. Other potential pitfalls raised include the danger that articles either won't come together and fit as a whole or between them will serve to repeat the same argument. The author states his personal concern that criteria concerning what is expected of a doctoral candidate will be based on his compilation thesis rather than the other way around. Finally, the author raises the question as to why one should write a compilation thesis at all and under what circumstances it is to be preferred over a monograph. Any guidelines developed should not only aid in guarding against the above-mentioned pitfalls but should also include positive examples of what constitutes. Adapted from the source document.

The article explains the process of selection of a Professor in Political Sciences with special emphasis in administration at the University of Lund in Sweden. The curriculum vitae & merits of each candidate, both in research & pedagogic, as well as their administrative experience, are presented, together with a general evaluation. Each of the three members of the hiring committee establishes a rank for the three final candidates, & Professor Axel Hadenius is appointed. Katarina Eckerberg, Axel Hadenius, Jonas Hinnfors, Mats Sjolin, Drude Dahlerup contributed. A. Barral

Assessment tends to be associated with students and learners; however, the term assessment encompasses both teachers and students. To understand the purpose of language assessment instruments, it is key to look for the designers and their preferences. This research aims to characterize 209 assessment instruments created by English teachers. This is a non-experimental and descriptive study that analyzes the types of instruments, the educational level, the language systems and skills, and the type and number of items. Two of the most important findings are related to the preferences Chilean English teachers have towards traditional assessment and the tendency to assess vocabulary and grammar; besides, the participants' preference for tests and fill-in-the gap items.