Intensive English Language Instruction

This article focuses on the current state of the ESL profession for teachers in Intensive English Programs (IEPs). Because the IEP context may be unfamiliar to some readers, the author first gives an overview of the characteristics and goals of these types of programs. Second, an examination of how administrators and programs are striving to ensure the integrity of language instruction in this setting is presented. Finally, the results of an online survey of more than 100 ESL professionals are shared. While many respondents expressed frustration with their current situation, one institution's efforts to promote equity for IEP teachers offers a model to other programs.

This study reports the types of spelling errors made by the beginner learners of English in the EFL context as well as the major sources underpinning such errors in contextual writing composition tasks. Data were collected from written samples of 122 EFL students (male and female) enrolled in the intensive English language programme during the preparatory year at the University of Ha'il in Saudi Arabia. Students were given 1.5 hours to write on one of four different descriptive topics related to their life and culture. The spelling errors found in the writing samples was analysed and classified into four categories of errors according to Cook's Classification: omission, substitution, insertion, and transposition.

Acknowledging the distinction between two types of form-focused instruction (FFI) on grammar, this study investigated learners and teachers' stated beliefs about isolated and integrated FFI. Placed in two major groups (ESL and EFL), 120 teachers and 280 learners were recruited from college-wide Intensive English Programs in Iran and USA. The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data collected from participants' responses to two questionnaires developed and validated by Valeo and Spada (2016) pointed to the existence of both harmony and discord between learners and teachers' views across ESL and EFL contexts.