Asian Journal of English Language Teaching
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10 January 2003, Volume 13 Issue 1
    

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  • From the Editors
    Gwendolyn Gong George S. Braine
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 0-0. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-000
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  • Interference in the Second Language Acquisition of the Present Simple Tense
    Jason Miin Hwa LIM
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 1-28. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-001
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    Practice and drills on tenses constitute a significant portion of the process of teaching and learning English as a second language, yet much research that has been done in the last few decades on the factors causing errors in the learning of some tenses, particularly the present simple tense, is still far from being conclusive. Focusing on the present simple tense, this paper argues that a large portion of the errors in the use of the tense may be ascribed to both intralingual interference resulting from the idiosyncrasies of the rules governing the use of tenses and certain interlingual differences especially with regard to temporal references of verb phrases. The data obtained in this study have provided new insights into the preparation of teaching materials and classroom activities which can heighten learners’ consciousness of intralingual similarities and differences in the use of certain related verb phrases. Recommendations have also been made on how teachers may use a five-column table to facilitate the learning of the present simple tense in addition to exercises aimed at contrasting the rules governing its use.
  • Effect of Using a “Top-down” Strategy on Chinese University Students’ Comprehension of English Readings
    Zhenhui RAO
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 29-44. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-002
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    This article reports on how English teachers in China used a “top-down” strategy of teaching reading comprehension in their English reading classroom. Based on the schema theory model in the teaching of reading comprehension, the researcher argues that the “top-down” strategy should be introduced into the traditional English classroom in China. By comparing the effect of using the traditional “bottom-up” strategy with that of using the “top-down” strategy in the reading course for English majors of a Chinese university, the researcher found that some reading strategies popular in English-speaking countries did work well in the Chinese setting as long as the teachers could take into account their students’ learning environment and learning styles.
  • Laughter in an ESL Classroom: The Result of Footing Incongruous with Korean Students’ Cultural Models
    Erika J. REUTZEL
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 45-60. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-003
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    This paper offers an explanation for the phenomenon of laughter in the ESL classroom. An analysis of the discourse that took place in an advanced-level intensive ESL classroom revealed that 3 Korean women in the class laughed when their participant role, or footing, in the classroom interaction changed from principal to author (Goffman, 1981; Kramsch, 1993). In other words, the students laughed when the content of their speech shifted from strict adherence to perceived student role norms to expression of personal sentiments. The Incongruity Theory of Laughter (Morreall, 1983) supports the claim that students’ laughter may indicate that such a change in footing represents a deviation from the cultural model they hold for classroom interaction (Gee, 1999). Because authorship in the classroom has been shown to enhance the development of students’ oral academic language proficiency (McCreedy, 1998), ESL teachers should explicitly sanction student authorship in their classrooms and create opportunities that invite it.
  • Group Discussion: The Teacher’s Role?
    Hayo REINDERS, Marilyn LEWIS, Rebecca TSANG
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 61-73. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-004
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    Group discussions are a popular way of increasing the opportunities for authentic talk by language learners. However groups can also present problems: one or two learners may dominate talk or teachers may have difficulty in adapting to a less up-front teaching role. This article reports a small action-research project which shows how teachers can monitor and adjust their roles. The teacher-researcher wanted to adapt her directive teaching style to a more facilitative role with small groups. She analysed her own language and its effects on learners’ talk over three sessions in which three different groups of students were discussing a movie. On each occasion this analysis led to her modifying her language in the next session. This study suggests a process whereby other teachers could carry out action research in order to monitor their teaching. The actual effect of a teacher reducing her own intervention suggests that while a decrease in teacher talk may be helpful, this is not the only consideration. Teacher intervention may sometimes be important to maintain interaction levels.
  • English Additional Language and Learning Empowerment: Conceiving and Practicing a Transcultural Pedagogy and Learning
    Alan BRADY & Yoko SHINOHARA
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 75-93. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-005
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    English language learning in contexts of study where English is not the everyday code of communication (e.g., Japan) can best be realized by valuing English study as additional language learning rather than foreign language learning. Additional English language learning in Japan should not strictly adhere to the myth of native speaker use, norms of study or use imposed from outside, or require students to remake their identities in response to others’ language or communication expectations. The most appropriate pedagogy and learning of English as an additional language is within a transcultural framework where students use English language to challenge their subjectivities, and broaden their ways of thinking and acting in the larger world. A transcultural framework allows teachers to function as educators rather than language learning technicians, and to focus on interaction and critical engagement with the knowledge and skills of using English.
    • Reports
  • An Input-based Approach to Task Design in Teaching Phonetics
    Joanna RADWANSKA-WILLIAMS
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 95-105. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-006
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    It has long been recognized that input is vital for language acquisition (Krashen, 1985) and, more recently, that focused input processing tasks promote the acquisition of grammatical form (VanPatten & Cadierno, 1993; VanPatten, 1996). However, the traditional approach to teaching phonetics has been oriented towards output, i.e., pronunciation practice. By contrast, this paper advocates focusing on input to promote the students’ processing of the phonetic features of English. It reports on the design of a task of phonetic transcription of authentic discourse. It is argued that the transcription task raises students’ awareness of different accents, and promotes their acquisition of English phonology.
  • Tackling the “Independent Clause as Subject” Problem
    Alice Y.W. CHAN, Becky S.C. KWAN, & David C.S. LI
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 107-117. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-007
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    • Reviews
  • Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab (Web Site)
    Reviewed by She-Sen GUO
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 119-124. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-008
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    Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab (http://www.esl-lab.com) is a free and well- developed interactive multimedia website, focusing on English listening skills. It provides an extensive collection of listening activities at a variety of levels and on various topics. With audio and video presentations, the Listening Lab includes pre- listening and post-listening exercises. Some feedback is also available online. Clear and detailed tips and help documentation facilitate the improvement of comprehension skills through practice, self-graded quiz pages, comprehension quizzes, and reading material. The Listening Lab offers learners a convenient and unique way to improve their listening skills outside the traditional classroom.
  • Task-based Language Learning and Teaching
    Rod Ellis., Reviewed by Guangwei HU
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 125-129. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-009
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  • Doing Second Language Research
    James Dean Brown and Theodore S. Rodgers., Reviewed by Christine C. M. GOH
    Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2003, 13(1): 131-134. https://doi.org/10.65961/AJELT-2003-1-010
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Asian Journal of English Language Teaching
E-mail：AJELT@cuhk.edu.hk