English language teachers’ motivation in Hungary: The results of a mixed-methods study
By Dr Kata Csizér, Associate Professor at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest
Despite the fact that students’ motivation to learn English has been extensively researched in Hungary, relatively less emphasis has been paid to investigate the motivational processes related to the work of English teachers. Hence, the focus of the study introduced in this talk is to investigate the motivational processes relevant to English teaching. As a result, the question that the present talk intends to answer is: What characterises English teachers’ views of their own motivation to learn and teach? In order to answer this question both qualitative and quantitative data will be analysed.
The qualitative phase of the study employed a semi-structured interview including 10 English teachers. The empirical work yielded a database of approximately 75,000 words and topical analyses were carried out to identify the major emerging themes. The quantitative data collection involved 200 English teachers working at various Hungarian schools. The online questionnaire included motivational, attitudinal and experience-related constructs. Single- and multivariate statistical tools were used to analyse the data. The results from the two phases will be compared and discussed including these main topic areas:
- Teachers’ motivation to professional development
- The contribution of self-reflection and attitudes to teacher motivation
- The detrimental effects of demotivational processes
- The role of further self-related issues, such as, self-confidence, self-image and experiences in teacher motivation
Possible relations among the themes will also be explored and implications will be discussed. At the end of the presentation, I will outline future research directions.
About the speaker
Kata Csizér holds a PhD in Language Pedagogy and works as an associate professor and chair at the Department of English and Applied Linguistics at Eötvös University in Budapest, Hungary.
Her main field of research is the social psychological aspects of L2 learning and teaching, as well as second and foreign language motivation. She has published over 50 academic papers and has co-authored several books on topics related to social psychological issues in foreign language learning and teaching.
Reflections on language learning and teaching in different contexts
By Dr Carol Griffiths, University of Leeds (UK), Auckland Institute of Studies (New Zealand)
In the 21st century, English is taught in almost every corner of our globalising world. Reasons for the interest in English vary from context to context, but they usually include a desire to be able to participate in international communication, entertainment, business, and education. But how different is the practice of ELT in widely scattered areas? In an attempt to examine this question, this talk will reflect on the speaker’s own experiences in five different contexts, using a narrative technique:
New Zealand. Since NZ has English as an official language, it receives many international students who wish to gain exposure to an English-speaking environment.
Japan. I found Japanese people to be extremely polite, with strict rules governing their behaviour, including greetings, time, shoes, and staffroom and classroom etiquette.
China. Among the factors which can cause confusion for a foreigner in China is the linguistic landscape, which extends into the classroom
Turkey. While China has Mao, Turkey has the omnipresent Ataturk, present in every office and classroom. For a foreigner, the linguistic landscape is probably easier in Turkey than in China, since writing is phonetic and based on a Roman-style alphabet.
North Korea. Some of the things which spring to mind about my time there include lack of resources, limited communications, limited availability of basics, regular power and water cuts, isolation, and dominance of the ruling family.
Based on my experience, I will conclude with some general advice for anyone considering teaching in an unfamiliar context.
About the speaker
Dr Carol Griffiths has been a teacher, manager and teacher trainer of ELT for many years. She has taught in many places around the world, including New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan, China, North Korea, Turkey and the UK.
She has also presented at numerous conferences and published widely, including her books Lessons from Good Language Learners and The Strategy Factor in Successful Language Learning. Individual differences, teacher education and support, English as a medium of instruction, English as a lingua franca, action research, and using literature to teach language are her major areas of research interest.
Global Englishes for Language Teaching: Putting Theory into Pedagogical Practice
By Dr Heath Rose, Associate Professor at University of Oxford
The growth of English as an international language (EIL) has changed the sociolinguistic landscape of how English is used, and therefore how it should be taught. Global Englishes - here defined as an umbrella term to unite the work of World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, and EIL- aims to explore the implications of this diversity on multifaceted aspects of society, including English language teaching practices.
Within this field, some scholars (for example Kumaravidelu, 2012) have called for an ‘epistemological break’ from the traditions that underpin teaching approaches, and others have called for changes in teacher education, including the incorporation of more Global Englishes theory into pedagogical practices (for example Galloway, 2017; Rose & Galloway, 2019).
This presentation consolidates recent calls into concrete proposed to innovate TESOL in the 21st century to better prepare learners for a globalised world. It draws on a body of classroom-based research where teacher-researchers have experimented with incorporating Global Englishes perspectives into classrooms where students are studying to use the language as a global lingua franca in their future careers.
It investigates a number of issues surrounding this integration, including barriers. The paper delineates a range of stakeholder (teachers, students, trainees) responses towards Global Englishes content and/or issues regarding the practicalities of manifesting theory into teaching practice.
This synthesis of studies will raise issues for discussion such as how to deal with standard language ideology ingrained in current practices, how to support trainee teachers after graduation, and how to narrow the current theory-practice divide in actual English language classrooms.
About the speaker
Dr Heath Rose is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford. His research interests are in Global Englishes and TESOL, as well as English medium instruction and language learner strategies.
He has published his research widely including in Applied Linguistics, Modern Language Journal, TESOL Quarterly, Language Policy and Higher Education. He is (co)author of the books Introducing Global Englishes (Routledge, 2015), Global Englishes for Language Teaching (Cambridge University Press, 2019), and The Japanese Writing System (Multilingual Matters, 2017).