Exploring the Impact of ChatGPT on EFL Reading Practices: Opportunities and Challenges (Published)
This study investigates the integration of ChatGPT into reading classes for EFL students, focusing on the challenges faced by teachers and the impact on student engagement. Key barriers identified include a lack of technological familiarity, concerns about academic integrity, and fears of student dependence on AI tools. The findings reveal that using ChatGPT significantly enhances reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and overall engagement among EFL undergraduates. However, cultural and contextual factors in Saudi Arabia influence its effectiveness. Recommendations include targeted training programs for teachers, clear guidelines for ethical AI usage, and strategies for seamlessly incorporating ChatGPT into existing curricula. Additionally, fostering a culture of innovation among educators and conducting regular assessments of student outcomes are essential for optimizing the use of AI tools in language education. This study contributes valuable insights for effectively leveraging ChatGPT to improve EFL reading skills and enhance overall language learning experiences.
Keywords: ChatGPT, EFL students, Impact, Reading skills
Enhancing Skills of Teaching and Learning EFL at Tertiary Level Using Culture-Based Approach and Cognitive Perspective (Published)
Today, Englishes is concerned with the expansion of English around the world and with its development into distinctive first, second and foreign language varieties, these having been subject to different classifications and models of analysis. In most universities in Vietnam English is the compulsory subject and the requirement set for English level among graduate students is getting more demanding. The reason is policy makers and curriculum designers are oriented by international exams to modify their English programs. Hence, students are required to produce free writing as well as achieve an adequate reading ability and some other skills. Nonetheless, many of them cannot cope with the program as they encounter difficulties both objective and subjective. This paper examines possible subjective and objective hindrances among Vietnamese students as well as Asian students, the goals they should hit in today era and solutions to tackle with the problem. Here it proposes the use of culture-based approach and cognitive perspective to pinpoint Asian thinking and its influence on English performance and to find an answer to improving students’ skills with detailed analysis on activities to be implemented in English classes. More importantly, the paper also gives implications for curriculum designers in order to make teachers, learners and topic learning into consideration as it is a significant factor in determining quantity, quality, and nature of classroom interaction. The aim of this paper is to raise stakeholders’ awareness of TESOL professionals about the cultural issues related to language education and to provoke further research, thought, and discussion about ways in which theories and practices can be applied in ESL/EFL teaching situations.
Keywords: Asian Students, Cognitive Perspective, Culture-Based Approach, Reading skills, writing
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS TO EFL LEARNERS (Published)
The past few years have seen much discussion about the teaching of reading comprehension to EFL learners. What has traditionally occurred in the average EFL classroom appears to be more like the testing, rather than the teaching, of reading comprehension. This paper discusses how far EFL teaching of reading comprehension has kept up with the research, and specifically, whether EFL teaching has remained in touch with some of the more recent views that have led to the development of new methods of teaching reading skills. The paper examines how EFL course-books published during the past two decades address the teaching of reading comprehension at intermediate levels and beyond. In particular, it considers the selection of texts, the types of activities used, and the reflection of current views on the teaching of reading comprehension.
Keywords: EFL, Reading skills, course-books, teaching reading comprehension