Service-Learning in an Increasingly Global Context

This paper starts with an overview of the sociolinguistic context and a series of policy documents concerning English language education promulgated recently in China. It moves on to an analysis of disparities in English language education policies practised in different regions, differences between urban and rural areas, between social classes and between linguistic minority and majority groups. The juxtaposition aims to reveal what different regions and social and ethnic groups in China have in common and how divergent they can be in terms of local policies and practices in English language provision. Also discussed in the paper are issues such as tensions between the spread of English and Chinese language education, and between mother tongue, Chinese and English language education in the case of minority groups, inequality in education and other linguistic, political and cultural dimensions.

There are at least three theoretical routes in reconceptualizing English language education in the world today and, more specifically, in multilingual Philippines. The first – change what English to teach – is to describe, acknowledge, and endorse the multilinguality of English in the country. The second – change how to teach English – is to locate English language education within the broader educational landscape of the country which in recent years has, to some extent, reconfigured the languages of instruction in favor of the “mother tongues,” especially in the elementary level. The third theoretical route – change how to think about English (and other languages, for that matter) – is to describe, evaluate, and critique the broad ideologies and ideological structures of English language education in the country. This assumes that the teaching of English is intricately linked with discourses, ideologies, and unequal relations between languages beyond the formal confines of the classroom. Thus, reconceptualizing English language education puts the spotlight on the role of teacher ideology in the process. We cannot change the way we teach English if we do not change the way we think about English and its role in the Philippines and the world. Here, English language education is not only about the form(s) of English but, more importantly, about the content of education itself, and this thus has implications for the content of English language teacher training, textbooks and other teaching and learning materials, and everyday classroom talk.

Programs aimed at community engagement efforts at X University have been offered since the early 2000's, which aimed at providing engineering students opportunities to use their technical skills with international engagement. While immensely popular with students and marketing pamphlets, a recent concentrated effort within the community-engaged engineering courses has been undertaken to shift away from models that solely focus on delivery of technological solutions. Which often failed to integrate complex contextual elements into the pedagogical course design and resultant student centric design process. Our course design shifted towards holistic and ethical engagement highlighting the programmatic shift from "service learning" to "community engaged learning" and challenging students to reflect on their motivations and positionality as individuals and engineers. This shift aimed to forge international and local partnerships that focus on community engagement and student learning through intensive planning, the establishment of trust, and values-centered relationships. Through utilization of human centered design theory and establishment of long-term partnerships that reposition student centric engagement courses have shifted to partnership structure that acknowledges strengths and limitations and centered value to each stakeholder. While models like this exist across the community development landscape there are challenges on how to integrate this into engineering course dynamics. Numerous researchers and academic folks have identified these challenges, but a critical gap still exists with the application of said "best practices". This paper aims to highlights the success and challenges seen throughout this transition when these concepts are put into practice to build effective partnerships at the local and international level. The overarching aim of this work is to share a proposed process of engagement for others interested in offering community engaged learning opportunities.

Coronavirus disease which has also been referred to as Covid-19, is a pandemic which was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December, 2019. Since the outbreak in China in January, 2020, cases have been reported in many countries of the world. The first case was confirmed in Nigeria on 28th February, 2020. The pandemic has affected every sector of the nation’s economy which resulted in the closure of schools, yet the spread has not been contained. Although, some advanced countries tried to contain the spread, but in Nigeria, the spread paralysed the economy, especially the education sector. This work is aimed at suggesting ways of revamping the English language education in Nigeria to meet global needs and challenges in the post-pandemic era. To achieve the aims of this work, the writers highlighted some conceptual frameworks. They explained the following terms: pandemic and post pandemic eras, English language education, challenges facing the English language education during pandemic/post pandemic eras and revamping the English language education in Nigeria to meet global needs and challenges in the pandemic and post-pandemic eras. The researchers also reviewed theories such as theories of behaviourism in English language teaching and constructivism views of learning as an interpretive, recursive, and non-linear process theories to highlight the work more. Notable empirical studies were reviewed. The paper recommended what should be done to ensure proper renovation, repair and restoration of the damages caused by the pandemic in the English language education in Nigeria schools so as to be able to meet global needs and challenges in the post-pandemic era. Lastly, comments, opinions, suggestions and conclusions were made by the researchers.

This article details English language education within the specific multilingual contexts of Ghana and Cameroon, highlighting how their distinct language policies and implementation practices reflect broader complexities within the sociolinguistic landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa. The interplay between linguistic imperialism, linguistic instrumentalism, national interests, and current challenges in language education is explored, with an emphasis on the experiences of teachers and students. By analyzing case studies from these nations, the authors underscored the role of multilingual education in enhancing ELT, promoting inclusivity, and fostering equity. Further discussed in this paper are the ways to influence educational policy and practice by advocating for multilingual approaches that optimize learning outcomes and inclusivity. Finally, the authors highlight parallel tendencies toward linguistic instrumentalism in Ghana, Cameroon, and Japan, and argue that a deeper understanding of these trends—especially as they relate to multilingualism, translanguaging, and English education in Africa—can yield valuable insights for crafting more equitable, context-sensitive language-education policies and practices worldwide. 本稿はガーナとカメルーンという多言語的な文脈での英語教育を考察し、両国の言語政策とその実施の実態が、サブサハラ・アフリカでの社会言語学的状況の広範な複雑性をいかに反映しているかを明らかにする。言語帝国主義、言語道具主義、国家的利益、そして現在の言語教育における課題が交錯する中で、教師や生徒の経験に焦点化した事例研究を通して、多言語教育が英語教育の質の向上、包摂性の促進、公平性の確保に果たす役割を強調する。また学習成果と包摂性を最大化する多言語的アプローチを提唱することで、教育政策と実践への影響についても論じる。さらに、ガーナ、カメルーン、日本に共通する言語道具主義の傾向を取り上げ、特に多言語主義、トランスランゲージング、アフリカにおける英語教育との関連において、こうした傾向を深く理解することが、より公平で文脈に即した言語教育政策と実践を世界的に構築するうえで有益な示唆を与えると主張する。

The teaching of foreign languages to young learners is growing in popularity around the world. Research in this field, particularly of English as a second/foreign language education in East Asia, is a relatively new area of empirical inquiry, and it has the potential to make significant contributions to child second-language acquisition (Child-SLA) theory building, research methodologies, and policies in East Asia and beyond. This article reviews relevant peer-reviewed literature on English education among young learners in East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). I begin by reviewing policy literature to illustrate the social and policy contexts of early English education, identifying major policy-related concerns. Next, I review empirical studies of English learning and teaching, organizing them by their relevance to the previously identified policy concerns. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.

This article reviews the significant and diverse range of research on English language education in Indonesia in the eight-year period 2011–2019. It brings together a body of research consisting of 108 sources, ranging from journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings and doctorate dissertations, to inform the international research and practice community. The contributions cover primary education, secondary education and tertiary education in highly diverse Indonesia where 707 living languages co-exist and struggle to find space in its linguistic ecology. The discussion will provide insights into how factors such as educational policies, ideologies as well as sociocultural and religious values are in contestation in shaping research into and the practice of English language education in the complex, dynamic and polycentric sociolinguistic situation of Indonesia, which has been recently conceptualized as superglossia (Zein, 2020). It is hoped our insights will help inform other multilingual contexts facing the unprecedented need for transforming English language education in this increasingly globalized world.

This chapter discusses a shift in perspective in English language education in Indonesia from English as a foreign language (EFL) to English as a lingua franca (ELF). The chapter reviews the historical background of English language education, outlining the curricular alterations affecting the teaching and learning of the language in the country. It argues that despite the suggestion to embrace an English as a second language perspective, English language education in Indonesia is currently making a transition to ELF. Further, the chapter demonstrates that the changing landscape of English education, the importance of character building and a shift in language attitude make up the reasons for the transition to ELF in the wake of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Integration. The chapter finally outlines implications for teacher education.

With the rapid development of social and economic globalization, China starts to pay more and more attention to college students’ English language education. At present, the rapid development of network technology in China has an obvious influence on People’s daily life, work and study, especially on China’s education cause. As a result of the influence, English language education of our country has been constantly reforming its teaching model, so as to improve the comprehensive English ability of college students and enable them to contribute to the development of China’s economic globalization. In this paper the research mainly focuses on the teaching model of college students’ English language education at current stage, and the proposal of education platform based on network technology, so as to promote college students’ comprehensive English ability and meet the requirements of current social development for college English teaching.

The integration of technology into English language education has revolutionized traditional teaching methods, offering new avenues for language acquisition and cultural understanding. This literature-based article explores the effectiveness of technology-enhanced learning tools in English language education, focusing on their impact on student engagement, proficiency, and cultural competence. Through a comprehensive review of existing research, the article examines the factors influencing the success of these tools and discusses practical implications for educators and policymakers. Key findings suggest that technology-enhanced learning tools have the potential to enhance student engagement and motivation, personalize learning experiences, and provide access to authentic language use and cultural contexts. However, challenges such as unequal access to technology and the need for effective pedagogical integration remain significant considerations. The article concludes with recommendations for optimizing the use of technology in English language education to maximize its benefits and address existing challenges.

The global importance of English as the language of international communication needs no description. English has gained competitive edge and is considered a requirement in order to make progress in the global world. There is bulk of research dedicated to finding better means of learning and teaching English language. The current research aims at exploring the potential of using social networking sites for improving English language skills especially in the skill areas of reading and writing. The research proposes to analyze the opinion of the participants by using SWOT analysis technique. This techniques dissects the themes from the data under strength, weakness, opportunity and threat in order to draw the picture of the potential of anything, In the current research, SWOT analysis technique was used to organize the data in the themes mentioned here. The study concludes that the use of social networking sites in English language education has marvelous potential as the students learn with ease of mind. The language is learnt in without any affective filters like anxiety or lack of motivation. Though social media sites can be effective platforms, their use may also distract the language learners with all their misinformation, ungrammatical content, and artificial human interaction. The study implicates that there is need to formulate effective strategies for proximal advantage of the strengths and countering the weaknesses and threats in order to make the best of the opportunities provided by social media sites in English language education.

This study analyzes the trends in Edutech-related (Edtech) research within English education in Korea, utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP)-based text mining. Data, including titles, keywords, abstracts, and publication years of 717 research papers, were collected over the past 20 years (2004-2023) from the Korean Education and Academic Information Service (RISS) database and Google Scholar. The analysis involved trends in the number of publications over time, word frequency, TF-IDF, N-gram, and CONCOR analysis. Overall, the findings indicate an increasing importance and expanding scope and depth of technology’s role in English education over time. In particular, the integration of advanced technologies like AI is fundamentally transforming English education methodologies and learners’ experiences, which is expected to have a significant impact on the future of English education. In this study, the trends in Edtech-related research in English education in Korea analyzed not only offer important implications for the field of international English education but also provide practical strategies and methodologies applicable to teachers, learners, parents, policymakers, and all stakeholders involved in English education, as well as a deep understanding of the global Edtech market.

Due to the expected value of English proficiency for living in a global society, acquiring English proficiency has become a major concern for many people in Korea. This attention is because people in Korea believe English is providing them with premium opportunities to better their lives such as being admitted to prestigious schools or getting high-paying jobs. The differential investment in learning English thus has yielded a new form of social inequality, dividing people between the English rich and the English poor. Perceiving the potential negative effects of the English divide and the importance of equipping Koreans’ English proficiency, the Korean government has put effort and strategic investment into improving public English education in Korea. Studies on policies have often been presented in a multilingual context where the concept of language policies, language education policies, foreign language policies, and English language education policies are somewhat blurred. Looking at the English education policies in a monolingual society like Korea exclusively can present a focused view on the effectiveness of English education policies. This study presents the key policies put into practice to improve the quality of English education in Korea and highlights secondary teachers’ responses to those policies in attaining the policy goals. A total of 1039 secondary teachers working in Daegu participated in the survey administered twice: 557 in 2010 and 482 in 2016. The perceptual changes are discussed with the participants’ comments included in the results. The study will provoke discussion and intuition for managing English education policies in similar contexts.

Multicultural education in English Language Teaching (ELT) has gained significant attention, although challenges still persist in its classroom implementation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate challenges and strategies associated with implementing multicultural education in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes within Islamic higher education institutions in Indonesia. A case study method was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with six teachers actively involved in EFL teaching to explore the complexities and nuances of integrating multicultural education in this context. The results showed various challenges, including the need to balance cultural sensitivity with standardized curriculum requirements, addressing potential resistance or discomfort among students during discussions of culturally sensitive topics, and mitigating resource limitations hindering comprehensive multicultural education. Furthermore, teachers emphasized the importance of enhancing mutual respect, improving intercultural understanding, and integrating diverse cultural content into the curriculum. Future studies were recommended to emphasize collaborative efforts, institutional support, and ongoing professional development to help teachers adapt teaching methods effectively. Despite limited resources, teachers remained committed to creating inclusive learning environments that prepared students to become proficient English speakers and global citizens capable of appreciating and thriving in a diverse world. In conclusion, this study provided valuable insights for teachers, institutions, and policymakers to improve multicultural education in similar educational contexts.

In recent years, the teaching of controversial issues in English language education has gained significant empirical attention. To date, this body of research has not been reviewed. This integrative review analyses and synthesises the main findings of 29 empirical studies on English language teachers' beliefs, experiences, and approaches related to classroom work on controversial issues in lower and upper secondary, as well as tertiary education. The analysis revealed that teachers recognise the multilayered, contextual, and emotional nature of introducing controversies into their classrooms. Some highlight the risks associated with such classroom work and express concerns about potential serious repercussions for addressing specific issues. Nevertheless, most teachers indicate that engaging with controversial issues in English language education supports various learning objectives such as developing critical literacy, democratic citizenship skills, and intercultural and communicative competence. However, scaffolding learners to acquire the language skills necessary for discussing various issues is imperative when the medium of instruction is a foreign, second, or additional language. Teachers' emphasis on strengthening learners' communicative skills in intercultural interactions about controversial issues underscores the added value of such work within language education. The review calls for more research on teaching controversial issues in upper and lower secondary ELT education and in understudied geographical regions. Increased scholarly attention should be directed towards identifying the particularities of controversial issues as a classroom phenomenon in ELT, as well as the universal features shared with other subject areas. Context and implications Rationale for this study: Although teaching controversial issues in English, language education has received increased empirical attention in recent years, this research has not been reviewed. This review aims to fill this gap by synthesising recent empirical research on this phenomenon, thereby identifying the salient themes and patterns characterising this research area. Why the new findings matter: The findings illuminate that the curricular expectations of the teaching paradigm in which teachers are immersed impact their pedagogical choices and agency. While many recognise the pedagogical possibilities of thematising controversial issues, others fear serious repercussions if such matters are brought into the classroom. This has personal and emotional consequences for teachers. Implications for Practitioners: Exploring controversial issues may support various English language learning objectives, including developing critical literacy, citizenship skills, and intercultural and communicative competence. The review demonstrates how educators can organise classroom work in the ELT context to achieve these curricular aims, including how teachers can remain mindful of potential language barriers or anxieties that may arise when discussing controversial issues in the English language classroom. Researchers: The review suggests that future studies should focus on upper and lower secondary English language education and combine several data collection methods. More comprehensive quantitative studies are needed. Theoretically, future research within ELT should strive to establish connections to interdisciplinary research on controversial issues in education.