Book Review

Emerging Issues in TEFL: Challenges for Asia

Laxman Gnawali
Mansoor, S., Sikandar, A. Hussain, N. & Ahsan, N. M. (2009). Emerging issues in
TEFL: Challenges for Asia. Karachi: Oxford University Press.
General Information
The growing need for English in education, business and other sectors is bringing
challenges for language planners, educationists, teachers and students. A fresh and
careful strategic perspective on the challenges is what all these stakeholders need to take.
The book Emerging issues in TEFL: Challenges for Asia presents insights into the
challenges and issues on the language policy, planning and the learning and teaching in
the Asian perspective specifically on the English language issues. Whereas regional
experiences on English as a second or foreign language have been covered, main thrust of
this book has been on the additive bilingual education with English as one of the two
languages.
The book contains 16 chapters contributed by 14 authors from Pakistan, India, Nepal,
Bangladesh, United Kingdom, UAE and Malaysia and edited by Sabiha Mansoor, Aliya
Sikandar, Nasreen Hussain and Nasreen M. Ahsan of different Universities in Pakistan.
The book published by Oxford University Press, Karachi came out in 2009. It has been
copyrighted by the publisher and bears the ISBN 978-0-19-547651-4 and has been
presented in the hardback binding. In the front matter it contains Provosts' Message,
Preface, Acknowledgements, Editor's Note and Abbreviations. In the main body there are
16 chapters broadly divided into three sections. Each chapter has citations and references.
The back cover contains brief information on the book. The information about the editors
and the authors has been given on the inside blurb and at the end of the book respectively.
General Overview
Section I Language Planning for Higher Education highlights the language policy
issues in relation to teaching and learning of English in the Asian countries where the
local languages are highly valued as traditions. The fact that life without English is a lot
different prompts individuals to spend time and resources sometimes at the cost of their
own language. So, here lies the importance of careful policy and planning and
bilingualism has been taken as a way out. The authors in section take English as an
additive component of bilingualism not subtractive.
Section II Teacher Education section mainly brings the issues on the policies and
practices on teacher education. It also proposes different strategies that can transform the
teacher education. Section III Modern Approaches in the Learning and Teaching of
English goes deeper into the classroom teaching and learning of English as foreign and
second language with specific focus on ESP, testing and cooperative learning, CALL.
Chapter-Wise Gist
In Chapter 1 "Language Policy, Language Death and Vitality in Pakistan" Tariq Rahman
analyses the status of language policy and practices of Pakistan highlighting the
dominance of English and Urdu over all other local languages and the implications it has
on the social and economic life. Rahman is not happy with the language death that ended
the 57 local languages and urges the policy makers to preserve the linguistic diversity that
Pakistan offers.
Pakistan has a dual policy on language. On the one hand, the policy is meant to
strengthen the state by binding the nation state with a national language which is Urdu.
On the other, it also aims to modernize the state with English which is the source of
knowledge and technology. As Urdu was used as one of the tools against Hindu
domination in the British India leading to the formation of Pakistan, the rulers used it
even later to propagate their ideologies consequently undermining the local languages. It
led the people to learn it as a Pakistani status symbol and now almost every Pakistani can
use it. So, there are two consequences: ethnic resistance to save the local languages
through dictionary and corpus writing and acquisition planning thus recording the
language; and practically jeopardizing the existence of these languages. Though there is
so much nationalistic feeling about Urdu, English has been and continues to be the
official language as it is patronized by the ruling elites in the name of efficiency and
modernization.
The chapter also gives the overview of the costs for education in Pakistan and shows that
English medium schools are the most expensive ones and the parents bear all the costs.
As for the hierarchy of the languages English is the most powerful followed by Urdu, and
other languages come the last. There is also a list of the languages which are about to be
extinct. The chapter concludes with a note that the language policy in Pakistan has led to
the social and economic division. Though rights based movements to save the local
languages are common, they seem to only the lip service. The chapter ends with a
comprehensive appendix on the status of the languages used in Pakistan.
Sabiha Mansoor begins Chapter 2 "Regional Languages of Pakistan Issues and Concerns
for Language Planning in Higher Education" with data on Pakistan's population and
languages. She shows that there are 24 major languages and several dialects spoken with
Punjabi having the greatest number of speakers as the mother tongue. She describes rich
data on the gender and higher education enrollment and establishes that Pakistani women
have poor access to higher education due to several constraints and restraints. She also
presents the findings of the study that tried to explore the relation between language and
education and language and gender. The findings are presented under headings such as
language competency and use attitudes. She goes on to point out the state policy issue of
assimilation vs. integration. She recommends that the women's status should be raised so
the transmission of mother tongue is possible to continue. A proper language policy will
promote cultural pluralism and produce additive bilinguals who will learn Urdu and
English without any loss to their own languages. The chapter also includes a rich
appendix on the regional Pakistani languages.
Through Chapter 3 "Globalization and EFL/ESL Pedagogy: Implications," Muhammad
Raji Zughoul argues that though English is hegemonic and imperialistic in nature of its
expansion, it is a must even for the Arab world for development, higher education and
importing technology.
Globalisation is not necessarily only the high-rise buildings but it is in the spirit. It is how
the nations feel about internationalising themselves. Zughoul feels that English can be a
medium for the countries to come together and feel good. He strongly recommends that
the teaching of English can be made more contextualised by changing the approach and
the curriculum in the classroom to go international and global. Globalising means
increasing interdependence. If the Arab world has to globalise itself, it is possible only
by importing English.
In Chapter 4 "Transforming Professional Development with Changing Times," Nasreen
Hussain presents the change as something English teacher need to live by and live up to
for their professional development. She argues that professional development is complex
and multifaceted but an indispensable component of educational change. However,
Pakistan offers limited and fragmented development opportunities. She reports the
findings of a study she carried out on the perception of professional development teachers
and the support they get from their institutions. She informs that teachers have either
never have had opportunities for professional development activities or it is fragmented.
She proposes a three-fold professional development system: state supported PD, needs
based PD activities, and the on-going evaluation of the PD.
Arifa Rahman begins Chapter 5 "College Teachers' Perceptions of ELT: Relevance to
Teacher Training" by outlining the history of English in Bangladesh. Then she presents
the Bangladeshi education as being transmissive, top-down, and hierarchical and goes on
to discuss the attitudinal readiness in the English teachers of Bangladesh that is crucial to
realise that the principles of the latest English curriculum implemented in Bangladesh.
She reports a study that brought to the surface that the belief system in the Bangladeshi
society that the teachers carry is acting as a hindrance to the improvement in English
pedagogy. She recommends that the teacher education should address this issue in
practicalities.
Through Chapter 6 "Learning English and Learning to Teach English: the Case of Two
Teachers of English in Pakistan" Ayeshan Bashiruddin, like Hussain, looks at the
professional development issues mainly to improve classroom practices of the teachers in
Pakistan. She examines two facets f learning: learning English in formal as well as in
informal settings, and learning to teach English by attending courses and by making self-
initiated efforts on the job. She presents a narrative research that she carried out on two
teachers who were working in two different contexts: private English medium school and
public Urdu medium school. The main implication of the research is that the teach
development strategies should be designed based on the contexts.
The quality of education is directly related to the economic implications. The higher the
quality of education, the better output locally and globally. Naz Rasool takes this issue
and relates it to the professional development issues in Chapter 7 "Quality Issues in
Language Teaching in Higher Education." The quality depends upon the professionalism
of teachers which she says is possible through reflective practice. Professionalism
involves having high expectations, accepting accountability, taking responsibility for
improving their skills and subject, seeking to base on evidence of what works, working
cooperatively as members of a team and with outside interest and to anticipate change
and innovation. She argues that classroom research helps teachers to be reflective and to
develop professionally which ultimately leads to quality in the education they impart.
In Chapter 8 "Teacher Education with Special reference to English Language Teaching in
Nepal", Jai Raj Awasthi outlines the history of ELT and English teacher education in
Nepal starting from 1948 when Basic Education Teacher Training Centre was established
in Kathmandu. Several commissions such as NNEPC, PSTTC, as well as College of
Education led the education scenario further. He also mentions several teacher training
programmes such as Women Teacher Training, Remote Area Teacher Training, On-the-
Spot Training programme, Teacher Training through Distance Learning, B-Level
Teacher Training etc. He gives a glimpse of the government commissions on education
how they shaped the way to the present status. He also presents the teacher education
institutions in the country with an examination of their programmes and recommends
some policies and activities to improve the English teacher education in Nepal.
Chapter 9 "Mentoring: A Concept for Teacher Development" by Noreen Mirza is yet
another chapter that stresses on the professional development of the teachers through
specific strategies such as closely supported practicum and the mentoring. Mirza argues
that teacher professional development through mentoring can be effectively run only
when the school leadership is committed to it. She goes on to discuss mentoring
principles and presents a report on the study she carried on the mentoring project set up in
one of the schools in Rawalpindi. Before coming to this point she examines the teacher
education system in the West where teacher educators work together with the education
authorities of the government system.
Chapter 10 Relational and Power Concerns for ESP Teachers by Maya Khemlani David
takes language as a conveyer of the message. Citing examples of some speech acts from
Malaysian experiences, it sees language as a tool for power and interpersonal
relationship. David relates this relational and power aspect of language to the teaching of
English for specific purpose (ESP). She says ESP teaching approach traditional geared
towards to the vocabulary and structure missing the power aspect which is important for
the users of English in the workplace to maintain relationship and power. Teachers of
ESP should simulate the use of English to establish interpersonal relationships in the
workplace. Davis supports her ideas with a research report.
Nesi begins Chapter 11 "EAP in the Information Age: What Should We Start Teaching,
What Can We Stop Teaching?" by defining English for Academic Purpose as the English
course given to non-native speakers of English who join academic programmes and need
language and study skills in order o follow their chose course of academic study. Then,
she discusses the fact that in the information age, the use of information technology for
the EAP is growing in the universities. Apart from EAP, use of computers is growing
with the faculties and researchers as they increasingly publish web based journals, create
course web pages, access databases and use computer based slide shows. So, in the EAP,
new skills such as technology and search skills, technology and reading and writing have
to be taught. She concludes that use of information technology makes differences on the
way study and research.
Fatima Zia Dar and Zubeda Kassim Ali look in to the issues of classroom dynamics
which is based on Cooperative learning approach Chapter 12 "Cooperative Learning: Is It
an Aid to Learning?" Cooperative learning is a method of instruction in which students
work in groups to reach their goals. Students share their knowledge and skills thereby
allowing the group members to learn from one anther. This method was used in Aga
Khan University to teach English to nursing students who took English non-seriously.
This paper mainly revolves around a small-scale research carried out on the assumption
that cooperative learning helps develop language development. The research showed that
the assumptions of cooperative learning were valid.
All conversations follow for cooperative principles based on four maxims: maxims of
quantity, quality, relation and manner. Chapter 13 "Conversational Implicatures as
Hedges" by Samina A Qadir leads is a linguistic discussion on the language use in such
conversations. Discussions on implicatures, hedges, socio-cultural taboos, norms, speech
acts are terms related to pragmatics, one branch of linguistics. The author treats
implicatures as hedges that stop the speaker from hurting the addressee.
Chapter 14 "Is there a Beginning and an End to Learning?" by Nasreen M Ahsan is on the
issues of life-long learning and its place in higher education. Ahsan also goes on to show
some distinctions on the traditional education concepts and life-long learning. The ideas
are validated with data collected from 14 individuals who gave their opinions on how
they perceived life-long learning.
Tests have two way effects: wash back effects on the teaching and learning process and
the impact on the learners. In Chapter 15 "Washback and the Impact of High stakes Tests
on Teaching ad Learning" Christine Coombe discusses this idea at length after explaining
the technical terms used in testing field. She recommends the use of high stake test for
better impacts on the second language learning with the hypothesis that tests which have
important consequences will have washback on the teachers and learners.
The purpose of language teaching is for communication and this can best be done by
using communicative language teaching approach. In today's technological era, computer
mediated communication can aid the teaching of communicative English as through it a
wide range of communication channels are possible. Through Chapter 16 "Computer
Mediated Communication for Language Learning" by Sarah Zafar Khan, highlights the
use of CALL approach in the technological era of today. The use of computer has been
instrumental in revolutionizing language teaching with abundant possibilities of teaching
and learning techniques.
My impressions
The book deserves appreciation for several reasons. The book is well planned and
presented with a good variety of themes. It is truly an international publication though
initiated by the Pakistani colleagues. Another important aspect of this book is that the
individual authors who have been invited to contribute have been rightly spotted. They
represent their context well.
The book is useful for ELT academics and professionals alike particularly those who
work in and for Asia. The language policy makers and language planners particularly
those who are responsible to shape the position of English in their respective countries
will find this book a good reference to realize how careful planning is a better way than
negating the role of English in today's world. Teachers and teacher educators can learn
much form the research reports included in the book. Researchers of any field in ELT
must not only read the researches reported here but also keep this book as a reference for
planning their research. This book is a good guide for those linguists who are working on
the language s that are diminishing and/or are on the verge of extinction.
I am truly impressed by the quality of the book, but I cannot help making two comments.
First, the title indicates that the book covers the challenges for Asia but only few
countries have been covered which actually does not represent the whole Asian
perspective. The chapters are mainly written by Pakistani authors and other countries are
represented by a single chapter each. The title covers more than the chapters cover.
Experiences from Korea, Japan, Malaysia, China other countries significant for ELT
would have made the book richer and true to its title. Second, though the book has been
meticulously edited and the quality has been maintained throughout the chapters, there
has an oversight. The Preface introduces all other chapters by the one by Hilary Nesi is
missing.
About the author: Dr. Laxman Gnawali is Professor of English Education at Kathmandu
University School of Education, and Senior Vice President of NELTA. He can be
reached at lgnawali@gmail.com