Journal of Studies in the English Language

2024-06-29T19:49:52+07:00

Note from the Editor

2024-06-29T19:50:52+07:00

Contributors

2024-06-29T20:18:40+07:00

Editorial Team

2024-06-29T19:46:40+07:00

About the Journal

2024-06-29T19:48:33+07:00

Performing a Girl in The Danish Girl

2024-04-04T11:56:31+07:00

This paper analyzes gender performativity in The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff (2000, 2005), emphasizing the potential for identity reconstruction through performance. The novel has been criticized for portraying transgender women conventionally, focusing on a rigid sexual binary, depicting surgery unethically, and ending inauthentically. Contrary to these criticisms, this paper argues that the novel subverts traditional narratives by depicting a transformative process. More specifically, by utilizing Judith Butler’s theory, the analysis shows how Lili’s expression of femininity challenges the initial schizophrenia diagnosis, revealing it as a misinterpretation of her gender fluidity. This paper also suggests that, despite criticisms, sex reassignment surgery and other technological interventions can provide transformative opportunities for gender performances that challenge entrenched heteronormative limits.

Exploring Thai Undergraduate Students’ Language Mindsets: A Survey Analysis

2024-05-03T11:50:58+07:00

This study investigates the language mindsets of undergraduate students in Thailand. The research involved a sample of 400 undergraduates in the northern region of Thailand. Data collection utilized a survey based on Lou and Noel’s language mindset meaning system. The survey was developed by the researchers and comprised 30 items rated on a 6-point Likert scale and organized into 6 dimensions. Analysis employed descriptive statistics, focusing on means and standard deviations. The study revealed that among the 400 participants, the evolving growth language mindset was the most prevalent category, with 46.25% of individuals demonstrating a greater openness to adaptability in language learning. Significant differences in language mindset levels were found across years of study and university affiliations. In the dimensions of “belief in failure or mistakes” and “belief in strategies for learning English”, most participants exhibited an expanding growth mindset. Contrastingly, in the dimensions of “motivational belief” and “perception of ability and potential”, most participants aligned with the restricted fixed mindset category. These results underscore the multidimensional nature of language mindsets and the importance of tailoring interventions to address specific dimensions, years of study, and university contexts. By fostering a growth mindset across all dimensions through targeted interventions and supportive classroom environments, educators can enhance Thai undergraduate students’ language learning experiences and equip them to thrive in their language acquisition journey.

Comparative Analysis and Pedagogical Implications of the ‘SFLEP’ Intercultural Competence Contest and Intercultural Competence Test in Chinese ELT

2024-03-14T07:40:39+07:00

China has been actively working to bolster its global communication and dialogue efforts. As part of these efforts, a considerable number of graduates take part in the “SFLEP” Cup National College Students’ Intercultural Competence Contest (SNICC) and Intercultural Competence Test (ICT). This paper offers a foundational overview of these important tests in the context of intercultural English language teaching in China. Namely, we explore and analyze both tests, identify their similarities and differences, and offer suggestions for improvements and pedagogical implications. Through comparative analysis, we found that both the SNICC and ICT offer valuable frameworks for assessing intercultural competence, though they differ in their approach and implementation. SNICC emphasizes practical, team-based tasks, while ICT focuses on individual assessments through a structured, machine-based format. Implications for curriculum designers, teachers, and institutions are discussed to aid in developing intercultural competence among Chinese students. We conclude by arguing that educators should adopt and integrate the strengths of both SNICC and ICT. Such an approach would improve their intercultural teaching practices and better prepare students to thrive in an increasingly globalized world.

Listening Problems in The TOEIC Test for English Majors: An Exploratory Case Study in a Thai University

2024-03-09T08:20:59+07:00

The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is a globally recognized standardized test that mainly assesses listening and reading skills necessary for communication in workplace contexts. However, the listening section, which accounts for half of the total score of 990, has been regarded as problematic for some Thai English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. This study, therefore, investigates the listening difficulties of six Thai EFL learners who struggled with the TOEIC test. The participants (fourth-year English majors from a university in Thailand) were asked to complete selected TOEIC listening test items and were interviewed about their listening problems immediately afterwards. The findings provide insights into listening problems in the testing context as task-based and individual-based. We categorized the top three problems as “I answer the choice that has the same or similar words as in the listening text.”, “I cannot catch the text immediately while listening.”, and “I make wrong inferences due to partial understandings.” Based on our findings, we make several pedagogical suggestions for TOEIC teachers and test takers, including an explicit focus on phonological knowledge, paraphrasing skills, automaticity, established vocabulary lists, and extensive listening practice.

Negotiating Patrilineal Structures: A Feminist Reading of Ahmed Yerima’s Akuabata and Odenigbo

2024-05-24T09:19:59+07:00

The construction of gender in African literature has been the subject of many scholarly debates, with findings that socially determined roles rather than biological factors distinguish males from females. These findings also claim as inaccurate, pre-colonial depictions of women as confined to the domestic space. These two points drive contemporary investigations of femininity in African literature. Contemporary African writers too, are righting these inaccuracies. This present study investigates two selected play texts by Ahmed Yerima: Akuabata (2008) and Odenigbo (2017b). It explores how Yerima depicts women in an age of conscious portraiture of femininity. The plays were chosen because of their similar focus on the Igbo cultural setting and the centralisation of women characters. The similarity in cultural setting enables a comparative reading of roles. The current paper argues that culturally assigned roles condition the actions and capabilities of women. It also found that Yerima employs other culturally acceptable concepts, such as the Ndi-inyom and Umuada institutions to provide alternative means for the female characters to achieve worthy goals in the plays’ texts. The study concludes that the construction of women in the selected texts depicts them as worthy members of society, who navigate cultural restrictions and become saviours of their communities.