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Different Attitudes Among Non-English Major EFL Students (1998)
Hsiu-Ju Lin & Clyde A. Warden
This paper analyzes the results from a survey of 346 college-level English language learners in Taiwan focusing on some causes that may have hindered English learning in the past for students participating in the survey, and the students’ perspectives about English learning. Results showed that most of the students had either fear or unpleasant feelings about their past English learning experiences, and that students of different majors had different perspectives about English learning. Several suggestions are provided for future application in teaching English to non-English majors in Asia. (Internet TESL Journal)

Modern vs. Traditional (1999)
Zhenhui Rao
With the rapid development of EFL teaching in non-English-speaking countries, English teachers have become more aware that the exclusive use of either the communicative approach or grammar-translation method does not suit all English teaching situations. Teachers have also discovered that no single teaching method deals with everything that concerns the form, the use, and the content of the target language. The overall situation is probably still as Roberts (1982) described: "The communicative approach, and we will now use the term to refer to the British tradition, is in many ways a commitment to eclecticism in practice and cannot be otherwise." Harvey (1985) states: "What might be called traditional methods and skills are not necessarily unworkable alongside modern EFL teaching methods. The idea that the two are mutually exclusive is absurd." (Forum)

Translation Teaching in China (1999)
Mu Lei
Translation teaching is a process that translation theories could be applied to widely. In-depth study of how translation is taught can set the course for continuous improvement in translation itself. This paper looks at the present situation of translation teaching in mainland China from the following angles: the history of translation teaching, the importance of translation teaching, teaching materials, teaching methods, research into translation teaching, and teacher training. The paper concludes that the development of translation teaching depends on guidance from translation theory, and that effective translator training must incorporate the research and development of translation teaching theories. Therefore, teachers of translation must pay attention to translation studies as well as translation teaching theories. (META)

How Can a Chinese Teacher of English Succeed in Oral English Classes? (1999)
Zhou Jie
Oral English is an important course for EFL college students in China. However, for a long time there has been a controversy about who should teach oral English, a native English speaker or a Chinese teacher of English. Undoubtedly, a good oral English teacher should be a good English speaker. Many native English speakers have proven to be successful teachers in oral English classes in China. However, this does not necessarily mean a good English speaker is a good oral English teacher. Apart from fluency and accuracy of the English language, a good oral English teacher must have a good grasp of the teaching syllabus, have a good understanding of the teaching objects (students), and have a good mastery of teaching techniques. To help Chinese teachers of English gain confidence and do well in their oral English classes, it is necessary to objectively evaluate their advantages and disadvantages compared with native English speakers in oral English classes. (Internet TESL Journal)

Learning Styles: Implications for ESL/EFL Instruction (1999)
Shumin Kang
Teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) has changed tremendously over the past two decades. Curricula, teaching methods, and teaching materials have been developed to meet the changing needs of the ESL/EFL population. However, the curricula of many ESL/EFL programs, (like those in China) are still linear or systematic and do not allow much room for individualizing instruction.

Research on learning styles, on the other hand, has provided teachers with a different view of learning and demonstrated how to apply it to classroom teaching. An awareness of individual differences in learning has made ESL/EFL educators and program designers more sensitive to their roles in teaching and learning and has permitted them to match teaching and learning styles so as to develop students’ potentials in second and foreign language learning. This article discusses ways to help ESL/EFL educators and program designers gain a better understanding of the human differences in learning and to assist them in selecting classroom teaching strategies when designing curricula. (Forum)

Trends in English Language Education in China (1999)
Yuan Yuan Huang & Hua Li Xu
The orientation of a people or government toward language learning and teaching has always been subject to social, economic and political needs. As China strengthens its economy and accelerates its steps to join the world family, English, with its unique status as a worldwide language, will remain China's number one foreign language. It is therefore worthwhile to examine the trends in English language education in China. This analysis is of critical importance because it will address questions that policy-makers and practitioners in China, and perhaps worldwide, should answer. It should also prepare us theoretically and practically for the changes to come. A point to be stressed at the outset is that the authors have no authority to reproduce China's national principles of English education. Still, we would like to shed light on the present situation in brief with reference to the published official documents and suggest some areas for further research. (ESL Magazine)

An Academic or a More Practical Approach (1998)
by Xiao Aili
I have been teaching English at Changsha Education College in the Hunan Province of China for 15 years. Most of my students are unqualified secondary-school English teachers and some are straight from high school. What they have in common, like most students all over China, is that they can't talk easily in English. Some can't even speak English at all, even though they have studied the language for several years. I often feel frustrated when I am asked by some students to give an equivalent Chinese definition to a very simple English word or to translate what I am teaching into Chinese. Once, when we came to the word "outlet," I walked over and pointed at the outlet in the wall and said two or three times, "This is an outlet." Several students still looked puzzled and one of them asked: "What does 'outlet' mean in Chinese?" This doesn't signify that the students aren't smart. The fact only indicates that these students have formed the habit of translating every English word into Chinese; without Chinese they cannot understand English. (Forum)

Songs Enhance Learner Involvement (1998)
Regina Suk Mei Lo & Henry Chi Fai Li
The value of songs in motivating students to learn English and enhancing learner involvement is widely acknowledged by ESL practitioners (Reeve & Williamson, 1987; Giudice, 1986). Teachers and students alike find singing songs entertaining and relaxing. Songs offer a change from the routine procedures in the classroom. They are invaluable tools to develop students’ language abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing and can be used to teach a variety of language items such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythms, adjectives, adverbs and so on. Learning English through songs also provides a non-threatening atmosphere for students, who usually have great tension when speaking English in a formal classroom setting.

Although the communicative approach has become the mainstream in language teaching, learners are still very passive recipients of knowledge and play only a minimal role in the selection of learning materials and teaching methodology. Such under involvement constitutes a hindrance to successful language learning. In order to enhance learner commitment, learners should take part in developing materials for themselves. Clarke (1989) outlines some advantages in involving learners in materials development through modifying existing materials. This not only increases learner commitment but also makes learners become experts in the tasks they designed. (Forum)