Quality Assurance And Accreditation In Foreign Language Education

Greater student mobility, increasing demand for access to tertiary education, as well as policy changes have spurred rapid expansion of the global higher education sector. However, with increased demand comes considerable variation in the quality of the supply. As higher education is an expensive endeavor for all stakeholders – governments, funders, employers, and families – there are also increasing expectations for accountability and demonstrations of quality. English as a foreign language (EFL) programs, in particular, are under considerable pressure to substantiate their value, resulting in a significant rise in interest around their quality. This volume is the outcome of a May 2018 international conference on quality and specialized accreditation, held in Turkey. The book’s three sections take the reader from the global to the program level, examining trends and best practices in quality assurance and accreditation in EFL programs. The book’s geographic focus is primarily the Middle East and Turkey, yet the issues discussed herein a quite global in nature. This volume will be of interest to educational administrators at the institutional or program level, educational leadership programs focusing on higher education, language teacher preparation programs, and administrators in centralized education systems or accrediting organizations.

There is growing interest in national and regional contexts for standard-setting in areas such as evaluation, approaches to quality control and management. In the first mediumterm programme the ECML project "Quality Assurance and Self-assessment for Schools and Teachers" developed a CD-Rom entitled "Quality Management in Language Education". Building on the outcomes of this project, this publication - a training guide for teacher trainers and multipliers responsible for quality assurance in language teaching at various levels in the educational system - has been produced. The guide aims to provide them with a complementary tool for this work, linking theory to practice with illustrative case studies from a variety of sources.

This book examines the phenomenon of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in Turkish higher education, using research-based findings and review-based discussions with a critical focus on diverse aspects of EMI. Particularly, it addresses issues under four major themes: EMI policy and the macro level context, teaching practices in EMI, learning experiences in EMI and future directions for EMI in Turkey. English as the Medium of Instruction in Turkish Higher Education: Policy, Practice in Action and Future Directions comprehensively examines the EMI phenomenon by taking Turkey as a case study and it exclusively explores existing issues against different conceptual frameworks and theoretical foundations. It also explores novel issues around EMI, such as EMI assessment, EMI classroom interaction, and technology-enhanced EMI teacher training. Written by established experts in the field, this volume will be of particular interest to scholars of English for Academic Purposes, English Medium Instruction and Applied Linguistics as well as postgraduate students of Applied Linguistics, English as a Lingua Franca, English for Academic Purposes, and language and education policy. The book might also appeal to policy makers both in Turkey and in international education seeking blueprints to align their avowed principles and ground realities for purposes of effective practices.

This book presents evaluation cases from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) context, investigating the various facets of evaluation in different parts of the MENA region and beyond. In 19 chapters, it explores cases from Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, the UAE, Turkey, Iran and Morocco. The book highlights the impact of evaluation on a range of stakeholders, arguing that it has repercussions at the individual, societal, economic, cultural and political levels, that it also has an ethical dimension, and that it is tailored to people’s needs, helping them to remain abreast of the effectiveness and efficiency of programs. Further, the book explores controversial issues concerning different evaluation themes, such as teacher and staff evaluation, assessment practices, text genre analysis evaluation, assessment of productive skills, textbook and ICT evaluation, evaluation of ELT certificates and programs, quality assurance, ESP needs analysis, assessment literacy, and dynamic assessment. It addresses key challenges, such as who the “right people” to implement evaluation are, and the appropriate use of evaluation results to avoid any misuse or harm to any stakeholder. In closing, the book calls for further research venues on the relevance of evaluation, testing and assessment in the MENA context and beyond.

This volume offers insights on English language education policies in Middle Eastern and North African countries, through state-of-the-art reports giving clear assessments of current policies and future trends, each expertly drafted by a specialist. Each chapter contains a general description of English education polices in the respective countries, and then expands on how the local English education policies play out in practice in the education system at all levels, in the curriculum, in teaching, and in teacher training. Essays cover issues such as the balance between English and the acquisition of the national language or the Arabic language, as well as political, cultural, economic and technical elements that strengthen or weaken the learning of English. This volume is essential reading for researchers, policy makers, and teacher trainers for its invaluable insights in the role of each of the stakeholders in the implementation of policies.

Designed for pre-service and novice teachers in ELT, What English Language Teachers Need to Know Volumes I, II, and III are companion textbooks organized around the key question: What do teachers need to know and be able to do in order to help their students to learn English? Thoroughly revised and updated, the second edition of Volume III explores the contexts for ELT curricula; explains key processes in curriculum design; and sets out approaches to curricula that are linguistic-based, content-based, learner centered, and learning centered. Organized around the three pillars of teaching—planning, instructing, and assessing—chapters in the second edition are updated to include current research and theory to meet the needs of today’s teachers, and feature new or revised vignettes and activities. New chapters help teachers understand both the technological and multilingual approaches that learners need to succeed today. The comprehensive texts of this series are suitable resources for teachers across different contexts—where English is the dominant language, an official language, or a foreign language; for different levels—elementary/primary, secondary, university, or adult education; and for different learning purposes—general English, workplace English, English for academic purposes, or English for specific purposes.

When foreign language teaching, learning, and evaluation are viewed through an intercultural lens, it becomes clear that language has evolved into a process that includes intercultural interaction and understanding, rather than simply teaching words and grammatical rules. In this context, culture, which is an inherent part of language, is an important factor that enriches and adds meaning to language learning. The intercultural dimension of foreign language teaching aims to provide students with context and communication skills that extend beyond language. Understanding that language is more than just words and grammatical rules allow students to better understand the societies and cultures in which the language is used. The intercultural dimension in language teaching informs students about the social norms, traditions, behavioural patterns, and values of the societies in which the language is spoken. This allows the language learner to interact more effectively with his or her contacts while also developing culturally sensitive communication skills. Furthermore, the intercultural dimension of language learning provides an opportunity to understand how the language is used in real life. Language is more than just the act of putting words together; it also includes the ability to understand how to interact within a community using those words. For example, teaching students cultural elements such as everyday expressions, traditional rituals, expressions, and slang enriches their practical language use.The intercultural dimension in assessment processes takes into account students' language proficiency not only through grammar and vocabulary, but also how they communicate in a cultural context. Exams and performance assessments can be tailored to evaluate students' cultural sensitivity, expressiveness, and language skills in a cultural setting. The current curriculum and the design of new curricula are critical in language learning. Curriculum design is a planning and organizing process that guides educational processes. Curriculum design and intercultural competence play an important role in enriching educational programs and providing students with a global perspective. When intercultural competence is integrated into this design, students have the opportunity to learn about elements of different cultures such as art, literature, history, and language. This broadens students' perspectives and helps them understand cultural diversity. Integrating intercultural competence into curriculum design aims to help students develop intercultural communication skills. Aside from grammar and vocabulary, communication skills include intercultural sensitivity, empathy, and effective communication techniques. Intercultural communication skills are developed by giving students opportunities to interact with people from various cultures. Improving intercultural communication skills has become a key learning objective in today's globalized world. In the classroom, students can learn intercultural communication skills through a variety of effective practices. Intercultural discussions in the classroom, cultural exchange programs, culturally themed project studies, participation in cultural events, intercultural communication simulations, and intercultural sensitivity training are all effective studies that promote learning through experience while also strengthening cultural interaction in language teaching. These classroom practices are designed to provide students with the skills and awareness required for successful intercultural communication. This allows students to acquire not only language knowledge but also the social skills required for successful intercultural interaction. This book examines teaching, learning, and the intercultural dimension in language education, both theoretically and practically. The book, which includes original research, offers new perspectives for teachers by addressing developmental methods. We would like to thank the authors and experts who contributed to the present book. We'd like to thank the entire publishing house team for their contributions to publish this book.

Decolonizing Foreign Language Education interrogates current foreign language and second language education approaches that prioritize white, western thought. Edited by acclaimed critical theorist and linguist Donaldo Macedo, this volume includes cutting-edge work by a select group of critical language scholars working to rigorously challenge the marginalization of foreign language education and the displacement of indigenous and non-standard language varieties through the reification of colonial languages. Each chapter confronts the hold of colonialism and imperialism that inform and shape the relationship between foreign language education and literary studies by asserting that a critical approach to applied linguistics is just as important a tool for FL/ESL/EFL educators as literature or linguistic theory.