Mixed-methods research
Solomon Woldetensay Shifaw; Berhanu Bogale Haile
Abstract
The study investigates EFL teachers’ beliefs and the instructional challenges of teaching mixed-ability classrooms. The study employed a descriptive survey research design along with a mixed-methods approach. Using the availability sampling technique, 44 EFL teachers from three secondary schools ...
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The study investigates EFL teachers’ beliefs and the instructional challenges of teaching mixed-ability classrooms. The study employed a descriptive survey research design along with a mixed-methods approach. Using the availability sampling technique, 44 EFL teachers from three secondary schools were selected and filled out questionnaires. Using convenience sampling technique 4 EFL teachers have been chosen and interviewed. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The qualitative data were open-coded, and categorized into themes. Accordingly, the study revealed that the participants had minimal knowledge of strategies to manage mixed-ability classes. Besides, most participants believe in using a whole-class teaching approach rather than helping weaker students in mixed-ability classes.Regarding material issues, the participants believe in using textbooks as the only resource to teach mixed-ability classrooms. Consequently, EFL teachers did not believe in preparing contingency plans, alternative activities, worksheets, authentic materials, and a menu of work for mixed-ability students. With varying degrees of seriousness, EFL teachers' instructional challenges were teaching and learning, motivation, and interest, followed by material, classroom management, and participation. Moreover, the results exhibited that the participants encountered instructional challenges such as students’ procrastination, inaccessibility of authentic materials, time constraints, and lack of commitment to support weaker students. The study results imply that EFL teachers need to develop a positive attitude toward teaching mixed-ability classes. The study also highlights the necessity of professional development opportunities for English teachers to enhance their pedagogical as well as psychological readiness to teach mixed-ability classrooms efficiently.
Mixed-methods research
Ziling Zhu; Xinxin WU
Abstract
The company’s About-us homepage, serving as the display page of the company’s fundamental information, constitutes an outstanding means for the company to mold and publicize its corporate image. An excellent company homepage can effectively establish a positive image of the company. Nevertheless, ...
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The company’s About-us homepage, serving as the display page of the company’s fundamental information, constitutes an outstanding means for the company to mold and publicize its corporate image. An excellent company homepage can effectively establish a positive image of the company. Nevertheless, the English homepages of some Chinese companies do not comply with foreign expressions or images, which might impede the internationalization process of these companies. Based on a framework of metadiscourse analysis and multimodal discourse analysis, this study delved into the linguistic and cultural characteristics of the introductory discourse of Chinese and American companies. This research first labeled the types of metadiscourse, and then employed the SPSS 27.0 to analyze the data. In contrast to American companies, Chinese companies have less awareness of the utilization of verbal and visual metadiscourse, particularly interactional metadiscourse. Additionally, the employment of graphics can assist Chinese and American companies in better expressing the author’s attitude and attracting readers. This research is dedicated to integrating a metadiscourse framework and multimodal discourse analysis to analyze the metadiscourse in English introductory writing of Chinese and American companies, and provides implication for companies on how to enhance the readability of About-us page for native English speakers.
Mixed-methods research
Leila Dobakhti; Pedram Judi
Abstract
Teacher resilience is an important topic in the world of education, especially given the numerous obstacles and the amounts of stress that teachers face daily. The term “resilience” has been used to explain why certain individuals seem to cope well with difficult circumstances. This mixed-methods ...
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Teacher resilience is an important topic in the world of education, especially given the numerous obstacles and the amounts of stress that teachers face daily. The term “resilience” has been used to explain why certain individuals seem to cope well with difficult circumstances. This mixed-methods study aimed to investigate the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers' resilience and overqualification, and their work alienation and positive organizational behavior. The participants included 199 (96 male and 103 female) Iranian EFL teachers, most of whom had bachelor's and master's degrees and worked for private institutes. To determine the relationship between the variables, a 40-item survey was administered while interviews were conducted to determine the participants' perceptions. The results showed no significant relationship between overqualification and teacher resilience. However, there were significant negative and positive correlations between work alienation and positive organizational behavior with teacher resilience. The findings can improve our understanding of the factors that can enhance teacher resilience and consequently promote positive teaching practices.
