Deconstructing the Divergence: Unravelling the 2013‐2015 reforms in GCSE English Language and Literature

Since 2013, GCSE English Language and Literature courses in England have experienced changes to assessment and curriculum that have ushered them in a supposedly new direction, both under the umbrella of wider GCSE reforms. This divergence has included the abolition of controlled assessment and the concurrent resurgence of academic courses being assessed only by examination. Alongside these changes have been wider reforms to the GCSE system in its totality, with a switch from the typical A* to G grading system to a new 9 to 1 structure. This article is a consideration of these changes and some other caveats of the reform documents released between 2013 and 2015. I am posing this inquiry from my perspective as an English teacher and a poststructuralist, using deconstruction to scrutinise the language in some of the reform documents. Governmental agenda of the reform is explored, demonstrating an archaism to the ‘new’ direction of the GCSE and the hierarchizing of the academic elite in the oppositions presented.     

The effects of accountability measures in English secondary schools: early and multiple entry to GCSE Mathematics assessments

This study used semi-structured interviews with staff in 14 secondary schools in England to explore strategies for entering students to GCSE Mathematics, focusing on the use of early and multiple examination entry. The key findings suggest that teachers were keenly aware of performativity pressures and that this prompted the use of a number of strategic entry practices, including the frequent use of early entry to allow students multiple examination attempts. This approach aimed to maximise the number of students achieving a grade C, the threshold for school accountability measures and for accessing further education and employment opportunities. Widespread use of early and multiple entry is likely to cease in England following amendments to accountability measures announced in 2013, yet this study adds a further perspective to the well-established literature detailing the impact of accountability measures in schools, as well as depicting teachers’ views on the effects of early and multiple entry upon pupils’ education.     

Changes in perceptions of studying for the GCSE among Year 10 and Year 11 pupils

This research aimed to explore whether pupils’ perceptions of studying for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) altered during the two‐year period of study of this qualification. Six hundred and forty four pupils from eight schools in outer London completed a self‐report questionnaire on two occasions, once in Year 10 and once in Year 11, which elicited their responses to statements about studying. Overall, throughout the course pupils remained anxious about coursework, examinations and homework and the time required for them. There was little evidence that pupils developed an increased level of understanding about the demands of the GCSE or a wider range of study strategies to support effective learning. That the students in this research remained as uncertain about the demands of coursework and the quality of their work in Year 11 as Year 10 warrants attention from those who plan and deliver the GCSE.     

Gender differences in perceptions of studying for the GCSE

This study explored gender differences in perceptions of studying for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). The sample comprised 644 pupils drawn from eight schools in Outer London, UK. The schools encompassed pupils who could be regarded as high, middle and low achievers drawn from co‐educational and single‐sex schools. Pupils completed a self‐report questionnaire on two occasions, once in Year 10 and once in Year 11. The questionnaire was designed to assess perceptions of studying for the GCSE including statements relating to coursework, examinations, research, study strategies and homework. This research demonstrated few gender differences in perceptions of studying among Year 10 and Year 11 pupils, who had similar attainment levels. In this sample, the boys were conscientious and completed more homework in Year 10. For the future, it appears important to explore further how the attainment of girls might be mediated by anxiety.     

从英语发展的历史看英语词汇的开放性

从古英语，中古英语到现代英语，英语发展的每一个阶段无不烙上了时代的痕迹．英语不断地从各民族中扩充词汇不断丰富发展、英语词汇的开放性还体现在它的区域性变体上，英国英语、美国英语、加拿大英语、澳大利亚英语等等各有其不同的风格中国英语作为英语的一种地域性变体，也必将得到广泛的认同。     

English,literacy, rhetoric: changing the project?

In this paper I begin to trace two movements in the curriculum history and cultural politics of English teaching: on the one hand, a shift from ‘literature’ to ‘literacy’, as organizing principles for the field, and on the other, from ‘language’ to ‘rhetoric’. I do so within a particular understanding of history, as embracing past present and future dimensions. My aim is two‐fold: to open up questions about the subject's historical legacy, and to draw attention to some of the emerging challenges and prospects for English teaching today and tomorrow.     

GCSE exam stress: student perceptions of the effects on wellbeing and performance

ABSTRACT

In the UK education system, an ‘audit culture’ has led to pressures being placed on students to achieve high grades in their GCSEs. It has been suggested that schools are required to achieve good academic results and look after their students’ wellbeing, causing a conflict in relation to public examinations, such as GCSEs. School staff support both performance and wellbeing by preparing students for exams. However, research suggests that there is a danger that many underperform, or are negatively affected (emotionally) by exam stress, or both. This paper describes a research project within the UK. The aims of which were to explore the views of students who had recently taken GCSE exams, to gain an understanding of how they felt their GCSE experiences affected their wellbeing and performance, to find out what factors contributed to or alleviated their levels of exam stress, and whether theories relating to exam stress such as Achievement Goal Theory could be used to explain the individual differences in levels of exam stress. Findings and conclusions provided ways to improve the support for students during their GCSEs, improving academic performance and wellbeing.     

Learning English as an L2 in the Global Context: Changing English,Changing Motivation

As the English language has become a global lingua franca today, it is not surprising that changes in attitudes and perceptions towards learning English in the international context have taken place at the same time. In this paper, I critically examine the notion of ‘integrative motivation’ in the literature of second language (L2) learning with respect to the changing role of the English language in the global context. In particular, this paper attempts to re-conceptualise the notion of integrative motivation by considering the results of recent empirical research on L2 motivation. It is argued that the predominant motivation of learning English among most L2 learners is no longer concerned with ‘integration’ in the target native English-speaking culture, but with the construction of a ‘bi-cultural’ or ‘world citizen’ identity, as well as identification with the international community. The paper ends by suggesting new ways of understanding the concept of motivation in L2 learning in today’s global context.     

试析英语委婉语的发展变化

英语委婉语是一种社会现象，它在各个方面都受到社会的影响。（1）在历时性方面，在不同的历史时期，需要委婉表达的话题随着社会的变化而变化，而对于同一个话题，社会因素的影响使其产生了许多委婉同义词。（2）在共时性方面，在同一历史时期，委婉语的应用受到使用和语境这两个因素的影响，使用因素包括年龄，性别及社会阶层等，语境因素包括：言语行为各个参加之间的关系，言语行为的语域和传播中介的应用等。     

Creative Potential within Policy: An Analysis of the 2013 English Literature Curriculum

This article takes as its focus Lefebvre's trialectic of conceived, perceived and lived spaces as a lens through which to scrutinise the 2013 English Literature Curriculum, and to explore the extent to which creative spaces might exist within that curriculum. The article analyses how the curriculum is envisaged by policymakers and how it might be expected to be translated into practice, utilising the wording of the policy document to facilitate an exploration of what its underlying intentions might be. The author's experience of teaching a poem from the new curriculum is used in order to provide illustrative examples of the ways in which teachers’ and learners’ experiences of the curriculum might, in practice, diverge from the direction envisaged by policymakers as teachers negotiate creative spaces within their classrooms.     

加强非英语专业学生英语听说能力培养的尝试

交际是语言的最基本功能，现代英语教学要求教师在课堂教学中要加强对学生英语听说能力的培养。在交际中学英语，这就要求英语教师在教学中尤其是在公共英语的教学中，不能再按传统的只偏重英语语言知识传授的教学方法。而应该在教学中坚持以听说领先的原则，通过各种途径培养学生的听说能力，切实提高学生的英语交际水平。笔通过多年的课堂教学实践，探索到了一些适合电大学生特点的切实有效提高学生英语听说能力的方法，章总结了笔在英语听说教学中的体会。     

Where the Action Is: How Drama Contributes to the Art of the Teaching and Learning of English

This paper looks at the way drama works to bring a model of an arts curriculum into reality. He also shows how drama is valuable when discussed as a separate, autonomous subject in the school curriculum as opposed to one subsumed within English. He argues for a view of the arts and gives an example of a sequence of work in an English GCSE class based around Arthur Miller's play View from the Bridge. From this he draws out several strands about the relationship of the drama curriculum to the individual students and teachers, the school, and to culture. He also emphasises the primacy of performance in drama education.     

浅析英语词汇的时代色彩

在语言三要素中,词汇是最敏感、最具活性的部分。社会文化的变迁,直接、快速地在词汇中得到反映。尤其是在世界局势急剧演化的转型时代,新词汇的涌现、旧词汇的消失或内涵变换尤为频繁。通过现代英语词汇的变化,可以透视人们现时的生活追求和审美情趣,可以折射出一个民族的社会心理和价值取向。英语学习者须与时俱进,才不致为社会所淘汰。     

《英语语法化的演变途径》评介

文章介绍和简评了约翰本杰明公司出版的《英语语法化的演变途径》,向读者展示了部分英语语法结构的历时演化过程,并介绍了脱语法化和象似性的作用等语法化研究中的热点问题。     

English language acquisition and educational attainment at the end of secondary school

There has been relatively little empirical research on the impact of stage of fluency in English of bilingual pupils. However, this issue is increasingly important given growth in the bilingual school population in England of over one‐third between 1997 and 2004 to around 10% of the school population. This study evaluates the relationship between stage of English fluency and performance in public examinations at age 16 for all pupils within an inner London local education authority. Two methodological approaches are used to study the associations. The first looks at the context and the trend data for the case‐study local authority (LEA) in terms of languages spoken and the performance of bilingual pupils in schools. This is followed by a detailed statistical regression analysis to isolate the unique association between level of fluency in English and pupils' performance at age 16, after controlling for the effect of a range of other pupil and school background factors. The results confirm a strong relationship between stage of fluency in English and educational attainment, with the performance of bilingual pupils increasing as measured stage of fluency in English increases. Pupils in the early stages of fluency perform at very low levels, while bilingual pupils who are fully fluent in English perform better, on average, than English‐only speakers. However, the latter results are not due to bilingualism per se since the difference is no longer statistically significant after controlling for other measured pupil background variables. All EAL (English as an Additional Language) pupils make better than expected progress over the two years between age 14 and age 16. The final section questions the appropriateness of the Qualification and Curriculum Authority's (QCA) approach to the assessment of bilingual pupils, which contrasts with the local authority's good practice. Based on the findings of this study, we argue that there is a need to develop a national assessment strategy that better meets the needs of bilingual learners. The policy implications for national and local government and for school improvement practitioners are reviewed.     

英语戏剧表演课程探究

英语戏剧表演课作为英语专业学生的选修课开设是一次外语教学的积极探索。对英语戏剧表演课三年来的教学实践做了阶段性总结并对其教学模式、内容、评估体系以及对英语语言学习的促进作用等进行了探讨,英语戏剧表演课对语言学习者语言能力和语言学习动力具有明显的促进作用。     

建构主义学习理论指导下的大学英语课堂情景剧表演

通过对大学生进行课程跟踪实验,并运用问卷调查的方式对大学英语课中加入英语情景剧表演前后的教学效果等方面进行对比,旨在基于建构主义的理论基础,结合大学英语课堂实际,尽可能多地为学生创造运用语言的情景,帮助学生独立运用语言。从而促进学生英语听说水平的提高。     

高考(上海卷)英语口试的实践与思考

上海卷高考英语口试从2000年开始采用计算机辅助的方法进行。实践证明,计算机辅助英语口试是解决大规模口试的有效方法。作为一种全新的口试方法,大规模计算机辅助英语口试在国内外都还没有先例。本文主要介绍近年来计算机辅助高考英语口试的实践和质量,并对今后口试实践的改进作进一步的思考。     

大学新生英语学习观念的转变及英语学习策略的训练

大学新生在英语学习方面存在观念滞后以及缺乏有效的学习策略等问题,导致他们不能适应大学英语的学习。帮助新生转变学习观念并训练其有效的学习策略成为大学英语教学中十分重要的一环。本文从帮助学生认识并克服英语学习中存在的误区,培养学生的自主学习意识,帮助学生适应大学英语课堂等方面探讨了如何帮助新生转变学习观念以及对新生进行英语学习策略训练的具体方法。     

英语专业旅游英语课的教学构想

旅游英语属于专门用途英语的范畴。文章分析旅游英语作为英语专业本科选修课的教学现状和问题,指出在正确认识英语专业的基础英语教学与专门用途英语教学的关系的前提下,旅游英语教学要注重相关旅游专业知识和文化知识的学习,但不能偏离英语语言学习的主线,要以培养学生的人文素质和跨文化交际能力为宗旨,建立以学生为中心的教学模式,采用现代化的多媒体教学手段和多元化的考核内容和形式。