ABSTRACT 

This paper reviewed the contents and objectives of three English language teacher education programmes offered by government and non-governmental organizations to in-service secondary school teachers in Bangladesh. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect additional data from the programme coordinators who were trainers as well. The aim of the study was to find out whether the training programmes created opportunities for teachers to engage in critical reflection on their own beliefs in order to develop a critical approach towards their teaching. Hence, this study drew on the extensive literature on teacher beliefs and critical reflection to advocate the need for designing teacher development programmes which focus on these two aspects. The study sought to establish the advantages of helping teachers to articulate their beliefs so that they can themselves identify whether their beliefs are in sync with language education today. This can be possible only if teachers reflect on their core beliefs about teaching that propel them to teach in a particular way. The study found that the training programmes which were reviewed all focused on classroom practices. None of the programmes focused on helping teachers to articulate or identify their beliefs so that their awareness of their own beliefs could help them appreciate the need for implementing what they were being trained to do in the classroom. It was argued that if teacher development programmes created opportunities for teachers to collectively and critically reflect on their pre-existing beliefs, it could help them  use their newly acquired skills more effectively and convincingly. 

Keywords: (critical reflection, teacher beliefs, teacher educators, teacher training modules.) 

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ABSTRACT 

Speaking is one of the skills that human being use to communicate with one another expressing their ideas. Speaking in English to interact in the classroom with the students and teachers has always been a challenge in rural areas tertiary level education. The aim of this research is to explore the problems of using English to interact in the classroom at English study program in rural areas’ tertiary level education. This research used qualitative research with descriptive qualitative research design. Sixty students participated in this research were chosen by purposive sampling from first semester till seventh semesters at tertiary level of a private university which is situated in a rural area in Bangladesh. Questionnaire consisted of 21 items was distributed to collect the data from the participants. The data analysis shows that there were many problems in using English as the medium for classroom interaction at tertiary level because of some influential factors such as; affective factor, sociocultural factor, age or maturational constrains, aural medium, professional versus academic, environment, learning community. It is difficult to use English in classroom interaction without solving the problems by all the stakeholders. This research will be helpful for future English language instructors and students to overcome the obstacles of using English to interact in the classroom at tertiary level education in rural areas of Bangladesh. 

Keywords: Classroom, English Language, Rural Area, Speaking, Tertiary Level 

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A Study On The Cross-Cultural Communication Attributes Of Translation By Wang Hui & Salasiah Che Lah

A Look into the Linguistic Landscape of Kumasi: The Case of Shop Names by Abdulai Akuamah

The Place of the Hagiography of King Iyasu I in the Ethiopic Literary Tradition by Yonas Yilma

Facilitating Accommodation of Learners with Disabilities in Summative Assessment of Literacies in Tanzania through Mobile Application by Musa Saimon and Fredrick Mtenzi

ABSTRACT

Summative Assessment of Language Literacies in Tanzania is administered in the form of a Paper-and-pencil assessment. This kind of assessment hardly accommodates learners with disabilities such as visually impaired ones because it does not allow adjustment of the font size to suit the reader’s needs. As a result, such students might end up being judged as failures in such assessments while their failure is attributed to the nature of the assessment rather than their lack of competence in language literacies. Therefore, to improve the existing situation, the present study investigated the contribution of mobile applications to accommodating learners with diverse needs in taking language literacies assessments.  We adopted qualitative action research using interviews, focus group discussion, observation, and reflection as data collection methods from one language teacher and ten standard VII students who were selected purposively. We analyzed data deductively through coding, categorizing, and relating data to available conceptual constructs. Findings show that mobile application makes language assessment more accommodating because of its flexibility in terms of presentation, response delivery, and locations and time given. The study calls for the National examination council in Tanzania to consider the integration of technology in language literacies assessment to maximize the learning opportunities for learners with disabilities. Also, teacher education should empower teachers on the use of technology in their classrooms.

Keywords: Accommodation; Summative Assessment; Language literacies; Mobile application; Tanzania

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