Developing English Discourse Competence through Self-directed Practices of Non-native English Teachers

Developing English Discourse Competence through Self-directed Practices of Non-native English Teachers

  The purpose of this study is to present a model for the teachers to develop English discourse competence needed at English classrooms, and to build a basis on which to offer quality English teaching in the formal education without depending upon native speakers. A total of 30 teachers participated in this study. The participants met in group once a week, and had 10-15 minutes" presentation each. Their presentation was recorded and sent to the researchers for analysis. Three conferences were held to motivate and guide the participants, and the researchers visited each team twice to encourage the participants and check the research procedures. Two surveys were conducted to gather data about the beliefs of the participants while engaged in this project. The findings include the participants" self-perceived improvement, to a varying degree, in speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary and even in structural knowledge as a result of incidental learning. Also the participants showed increased self-confidence in teaching English, as well as more spontaneous and lengthened speech as the project went on. It is hoped that the findings from this project will provide insights on the areas of teacher cooperation, teachers" self-directed development, reflective teaching, using English as the media of instruction, and teacher training programs.