Editorial

As the end of the year draws near, we at the RELC Journal are pleased to present you with a ‘bumper’ issue containing eight research articles and a book review.

That English is now a world language and its reach is expanding into every corner of the globe is nowhere more evident than in this issue of the RELC Journal. For the first time, we bring you research articles from Cameroon, Colombia and Palestine. In addition, we feature articles from China and Iran, two research hotbeds, and papers from Taiwan and New Zealand.

While their geographies may vary, the articles share a concern over such perennial questions as (1) What strategy or approach can teachers use to improve student learning and how well do they work? (2) What do students think and believe about a particular teaching approach? (3) What do teachers think and believe about a particular teaching approach?

The first article by Frank Boers is a reappraisal of the 4/3/2 activity, described as ‘a condition where time given for repeated talks shrank’. Boers found that repetition increased fluency but time pressure compromised improvements in accuracy. In our time-starved classrooms, where teachers are always racing to complete the syllabus, the lesson that can be gleaned from this research study is the importance of giving students ample time for task planning, practice and production.

The second article is by Erik Ekembe, who looks at the use of an interactive approach in teaching large classes in the Cameroon. This article is of immense importance as in many parts of the developing world, large classes with as many as 60-80 students per class are the norm. The study found that class size did not inhibit interaction but type of interaction, learners’ previous learning styles and proficiency did have an impact on durability of knowledge.

The next two articles are from Iran. Research by Sayyed Mohammad Alavi and Fateme Janbaz compared two forms of pre-listening support, question preview and topic preparation, and found that both forms of support improved learners’ listening comprehension. Zia Tajeddin and Maryam Pezeshki’s paper looked at the impact of video-driven input enhancement and output tasks on the acquisition of politeness markers. They found that the input enhancement group improved in their comprehension of politeness markers while the output group improved in their productive use of these markers.

Yan Jiang’s research article is on teacher questioning as a formative assessment strategy used by teachers in their classroom practice. Her paper offers practical advice on how teachers can ask and respond to questions effectively to stimulate thinking and assess learning.

The next three articles concern learner and teacher perceptions. With the growth of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) throughout Asia, Chun-Chun Yeh’s paper, Taiwanese Students’ Experiences and Attitudes towards English-Medium Courses in Tertiary Education, found that although students encountered difficulties in EMI courses, due in part to their lack of English language proficiency, they generally agreed that such courses were beneficial to themselves and Taiwan.

The perceptions of Palestinian learners about their autonomous learning responsibilities and abilities are investigated in Anwar Abdel Razeq’s study, which looked at the readiness of a group of learners to undertake autonomous learning. The study found that gender and level of proficiency have an impact on autonomous learning practices. The final article in this issue looks at teacher perceptions of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Colombia. Although CLT is an over-studied area, there is little written in English about CLT in Colombia, where there is a growing demand for English in schools. Ah-Young Kim’s study offers unique insights into the teaching of English in a South American context.

This issue concludes with a review of Brian Tomlinson’s latest edition of Developing Materials for Language Teaching.

We hope that these articles offer you some new insights into the study of second language acquisition as well as practical ideas about how you can teach more effectively. We also hope that they foster in you a sense that you are part of the growing community of teachers and trainers, united in our endeavour to improve the lives of our learners through English language education and training.