Journal of English Language Teaching (JELT) ISSN: 0973-5208 (Print) The Journal of English Language Teaching (JELT) is an international, double-blind, peer-reviewed scholarly journal published bimonthly by the English Language Teachers’ Association of India (ELTAI). Established in 1965, prior to the formation of ELTAI in 1969 and its registration in 1974, JELT has maintained uninterrupted publication for six decades. The journal provides a rigorous academic platform for research and critical inquiry in English language teaching, applied linguistics, teacher education, and related areas of English studies. It publishes original research articles, theoretical discussions, pedagogical analyses, and context-responsive studies that address issues in English language teaching and learning across diverse educational, linguistic, and sociocultural settings. JELT follows a Diamond Open Access publishing model. The journal does not charge submission, processing, or publication fees (APCs). All published content is freely accessible online, ensuring equitable dissemination of research. Print copies are distributed to ELTAI members as part of the Association’s academic outreach. The journal operates under a clearly defined editorial governance structure and maintains full editorial independence. All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process to ensure academic integrity, methodological rigour, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Manuscripts are accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system. JELT publishes six issues annually (January–February, March–April, May–June, July–August, September–October, and November–December) and adheres to recognised standards of publication ethics and transparency in scholarly communication.
The Society for the Promotion of Education in India
From Lesson Plans to Practice: How Teachers Prepare for English Language Teaching
This study examines how English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers design and adapt lesson plans for linguistically diverse classrooms. Grounded in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, it explores the integration of learners’ first languages (L1s), scaffolding, and differentiated instruction. The study involved twelve Higher Secondary ESL teachers from Assam, utilising lesson plan analysis and interviews. The findings reveal that while teachers create structured plans, they frequently modify them to address varied language proficiencies and backgrounds. Salient strategies observed include bilingual support, peer collaboration, culturally relevant content, and interactive activities. Teachers also grapple with constraints such as mixed-ability management, limited class time, learner anxiety, and a paucity of multilingual resources. The study highlights the necessity for flexible, responsive lesson planning and advocates for enhanced professional training and resource support to augment multilingual ESL instruction and learner engagement.
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of English Language Teaching https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Teacher Autonomy and Its Constraints in Higher Education:Implications for Learner-Centred Pedagogy
Autonomy in education relies on both learner and teacher agency. This study examined how English faculty members in higher education institutions in the Theni District, Tamil Nadu, perceive and practice autonomy and how institutional factors influence their perspectives. Grounded in self-determination theory, 64 faculty members from government-aided and private colleges were surveyed in 2022–2023 using a validated questionnaire on learner autonomy, motivation, and constraints. Results show that teachers actively motivate students (90.6%), acknowledge achievements (93.8%), and use autonomy-supportive strategies like goal setting and responsibility-sharing (92.2%). Most reported job satisfaction (84.4%) and access to professional development (79.7%), though fewer were satisfied with pay (48.4%). Institutional support was evident, but barriers persisted: burnout from rigid schedules (93.8%), job insecurity (81.3%), and heavy administrative burdens (84.4%). The findings suggest that while teachers promote learner autonomy, structural constraints hinder its full practice, highlighting the need for institutional reforms to strengthen teacher agency.
Reimagining English Teacher Education:The Transformative Potential of Flipped Learning Design
The 21st-century educational landscape requires a shift from traditional, transmissive teaching models to student-centred, active-learning paradigms. This change is especially important in teacher education, where pre-service teachers need not only to master content but also to internalise pedagogical strategies they can adopt. The implementation of Flipped Learning Design (FLD) as a transformative framework prepares pre-service teachers for English Language Teaching (ELT) pedagogy. Moving beyond the exploratory focus of much existing research, this paper synthesises theoretical foundations and empirical literature to examine the relationship between FLD and three key outcomes: Academic Achievement in pedagogy, Self-Directed Learning Readiness (SDLR), and long-term knowledge Retention. By restructuring the learning process around the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation), FLD enables in-class time to be devoted to collaborative, higher-order cognitive activities that are essential for mastering complex pedagogical concepts. The study concludes that incorporating FLD into ELT teacher training programmes can foster a generation of teachers who are not only knowledgeable and reflective but also autonomous and adaptable, ultimately improving the quality of English education. This model provides practical guidance for teacher educators aiming to incorporate technology-enhanced, student-centred pedagogies.
Teaching English to Gen‑Z Learners: Pedagogical Challenges and Technological Opportunities
The emergence of Generation Z learners has accelerated a pedagogical transition in English language teaching (ELT) in semi‑urban Indian higher education. Born into a digital society, Gen Z students often expect immediacy, interactivity and personalisation in learning environments (Seemiller & Grace, 2022). Yet many classrooms continue to rely on traditional lecture‑based methods and treat technology as a presentation aid rather than an integrated pedagogical mediator. To explore this mismatch, we conducted a mixed‑methods study among 120 undergraduate students and 20 English teachers across semi‑urban colleges in Telangana. Structured questionnaires (five‑point Likert scales) measured students’ engagement, learning preferences and perceived challenges, and teacher instruments captured instructional practices, assessment concerns and institutional support. Semi‑structured interviews with teachers provided contextual insights. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, and interview transcripts were thematically coded following Braun and Clarke’s procedures. Results showed that a large majority of students perceived technology‑enhanced tasks (e.g., video lessons, interactive presentations) as more engaging than lecture‑based instruction (76% versus 68%), while teachers reported that technology supported interaction (85%) but posed challenges for assessment (65%) and classroom management (60%). The study concludes that technology use, by itself, does not ensure measurable language gains; therefore, our conclusions are limited to perceived engagement and reported pedagogical practices. These findings have implications for teacher professional development, classroom management and curriculum design in Indian multilingual higher‑education contexts.
“Call me however what thou wilt.I am who I must be. I call myself Zarathustra.” The Glossary Named Hobson–Jobson, 1886
This article relates to an 1886-published glossary titled Hobson–Jobson, being a glossary of Anglo-Indian colloquial words and phrases and of kindred terms; etymological, historical, geographical, and discursive, compiled by Henry Yule and Arthur Burnell, two Britons working in India. This is an intellectually intrepid effort of lexicalizing Indian words used by the British in India in the mid and later decades of the 19th century. On closer reading, this volume impresses more as a lexicon that extensively catalogues words assimilated into spoken and written English by the British residents in 19th century India, from various Indian languages. Joseph Rudyard Kipling, while serving as the sub-editor of the Civil and Military Gazette (C.M.G.) in Lahore, commented on this glossary in C.M.G.–1886. Kipling’s commentary is exhaustive. It is delightful and hilarious. Hence, parts of that are reproduced in the present article. The present article aims to highlight that a comprehensive knowledge of historical lexicons, dictionaries, and glossaries of the English language is essential for present-day English teachers in India, mainly because such volumes provide conceptual clarity on the evolution of the English language, in addition to value-added meanings and origins of words. I am convinced that such an understanding will go a long way toward improving the classroom teaching of English in India, particularly in teaching English as a second language.
Integration of Technology – Reincarnation of Teachers’ Roles
Learning Technology Special Interest Group
Accessibility in MOOCs: A Bibliometric Analysis and Implications for English Language Courses
Ensuring accessibility is a critical concern in the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), given their foundational aim of providing inclusive and equitable access to education. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of research on accessibility in MOOCS to trace the conceptual development of the construct, identify key themes and gaps, and examine how accessibility is framed within MOOC research. A total of 229 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 2002 and 2025 were analysed using thematic mapping, keyword co-occurrence, and bibliographic coupling techniques. The findings reveal a clear conceptual progression in accessibility research, moving from early access-oriented interpretations centred on availability and participation, towards compliance-driven approaches focused on disability and web accessibility standards, and more recently towards broader notions of inclusivity. Despite this evolution, accessibility remains conceptually underdeveloped and is predominantly framed as a technical or compliance-related requirement rather than as a pedagogical principle. The analyses also highlight the fragmented nature of accessibility research, with limited integration between technical, pedagogical, and learner-centred perspectives. Notably, English language MOOCs do not emerge as a distinct research theme, indicating a significant gap. The study underscores the need to consolidate accessibility as a learner-centred, inclusive, and pedagogically grounded concept in MOOC design and delivery.
Adrian Wallwork’s AI-Assisted Writing and Presenting in English
The principal aim of Adrian Wallwork’s AI-Assisted Writing and Presenting in English is to demonstrate to students and researchers how to enhance their use of AI to correct their use of English. It will be of clear benefit to such learners, although even native speakers may find its approach to using AI useful. It is mainly intended for students studying EAP and teachers who are teaching EAP. The main areas the book addresses are how to write a good prompt (it claims to include 170 examples) for the AI you are using, the value of pre-editing and post-editing of the text to improve the output of an AI-assisted translation, the strengths and weaknesses of AI-assisted translation and what AI can and cannot do.
Use of Online Videos to Improve Speaking Skills
While learning the mother tongue, people never feel that they are learning a language, but while learning a foreign language they become cautious. When language learners are asked to speak in English on a given topic, they try to speak, but they may not speak well or fluently due to lack of ideas, information, exposure, and confidence. Even to write a piece of composition they need to get ideas. So, they escape, avoid or postpone due to scarcity of ideas. Owing to this, they lose confidence; they hesitate to speak and show reluctance to write. It becomes inevitable to the learners of vernacular background to acquire communicative competence in English. Using online videos would be a better idea to motivate the learners of heterogeneous groups to enhance their communicative skills. The core of the approach is: ‘the more they see, the more they learn’. The approach presented and discussed here will provide a platform to cater for learners to meet the needs of the present-day world through “computeracy”. The present article focuses on teaching speaking skills through group/team work.
Action research through Mentorship Model: A sustainable Framework for professional development
Action research or classroom-based research is steadily gaining popularity in the Indian context because it focuses on the teachers’ real-life classroom issues and solving those through an enquiry-based approach. English teachers at the school level need to collaborate with professionals in the field to gain insights as well as receive guidance in their journey of action research. School teachers in India are not motivated to conduct research which is largely considered the domain of ‘higher education’. Thus, action research has the potential to bring research practices into the English classroom and encourage teachers to look at their classrooms critically. At present, continuous professional development (CPD) activities in the Indian context are based on the cascade model (Mathew, 1998). To manage the huge number of teachers who need to be part of CPD programs, the cascade model seems to be the most feasible method of teacher education in India. The effectiveness of this model has however been challenged. This paper argues that the mentorship or network-based model can be a sustainable framework citing British Council’s Aptis Action Research Mentor Scheme (AARMS), which is an initial attempt to gauge the feasibility of the mentorship model in the Indian context.
Using Sports Vocabulary to Strengthen English Language Skills of Engineering Students
This paper reports on a small study that was taken up to examine whether using sports vocabulary in classroom assignments could influence and motivate undergraduate engineering students to take more interest in their English learning. Culturally Indians are observed to be very sports loving. One hundred and twelve 2nd year electrical engineering students were considered for the study and were divided into two groups, group 1 comprising the experimental group, and group 2 comprising the control group. Specific language tasks based on sports were given to the experimental group to ascertain their level of interest. A pre and post-test method was applied, in addition to obtaining qualitative feedback from group 1 students. The results reveal that there was a marked improvement in the interest level and in the score level of the students who were subjected to the intervention process.
Designing a Textbook for Undergraduate Students to facilitate Relevance, Reflection and Response
One of the major challenges faced by teachers is the of lack of engagement with the textbook among the students. The reason behind this is that the content of the text is of little relevance to the students and is not close to their hearts. Moreover, the language of the text is not accessible to the students and cannot be comprehended by them without a teacher-directed lesson. The present paper shares the parameters used by the researchers in designing a textbook for general English undergraduate students so that it promotes engagement and critical thinking among them. The paper also shares the ways in which classroom instruction was used to help students connect the content of the text to their own lives and also provide opportunities for them to not only develop their vocabulary and communication skills but also their high order thinking skills.
Reinventing the Mode of Teaching: Question as a way of learning
In the present times, when teaching has become equivalent to mentoring and learning process has acquired a new approach, it is imperative that the learners are put at the centre and their potential is exploited to the maximum by making them actively involved in the classroom. It is time to reverse the trend (especially in a post-graduate class of students of literature), wherein instead of asking answers to questions, the emphasis should be on to encourage them to pose questions. The paper shares thoughts towards the concept that questioning is a mode of learning, questioning encourages learners’ creativity and questioning is a way of sharing unanswered answers. It is based on the hypothesis that questions help to raise issues and given a proper learning environment, a person can improve his/her ability if he/she is allowed to express, think and articulate. The paper also focuses on the advantages such learning can provide in the days ahead.
Teaching Online Reading Skills with Authentic Materials – A Blueprint for a 21st Century Classroom
A lot of reading is done in the online mode these days. In fact, reading from the computer/ smartphone screen is a fact of life in the 21st century and the ability to access, read, and comprehend texts online are necessary 21st Century Skills. Therefore, the teaching of reading skills should necessarily take into consideration the online reading experience. This paper attempts to present a blueprint of a classroom where the learners read and comprehend authentic material on their smartphone screens using language learning strategies (LLS). However, the focus of the design essentially remains on pedagogy and not on technology; it features the application of available resources and accessible authentic materials.
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of English Language Teaching
The Role of Phonetics in Teaching ESL Learners
Phonetics is usually regarded as a subject by itself and teachers of English consider it a tool in accent neutralization at the most. In this context, this paper shows the essential role of phonetics in the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) with focus on segmental (phonemes) and suprasegmental (stress, accent, rhythm and intonation) features. For teachers, who have had a good model of English pronunciation in their growing years, the awareness may be intuitive and the features may have become part of their language. But for the others, who teach ESL, learning the nuances of phonetics may be considered a part of their continuing professional development (CPD).
Teaching English for Communication in Professional and Technical Education
English has the status of an associate language in India, but in fact it has become the most important language. English in India is used not only for communicating with the outside world, but also for inter-state and intra-state communication. English is very important in some systems – legal, financial, educational and business. English symbolizes in Indians’ minds better education, better culture and higher intellect. However, most Indians who know English often intersperse it with Indian languages in their conversation. It is also usual among Indians to speak fluently in English abruptly in the middle of their conversation. The paper deals with the importance of communicative English language competence in every walk of the professional life of an engineer for his bright future and how teachers and students need to make integrated efforts to build their competency in English, skills that would enable students to be successful in studies, campus interviews and their corporate life.
Enhancing Writing Skills: Application of Kagan’s Cooperative Learning Structures for EL Learners
Having good writing skills is a key factor in the continuous assessment, both formative and summative, of a student. Teachers at various levels have adopted various innovative and creative methods in the classroom to ensure that the students excel in their writing skill. At this juncture, Kagan’s structures for English language learners provide a wide platform to enhance writing skills among high school and higher level of learners. This study investigates the effects of cooperative learning in enhancing the writing performance of students from urban areas. The students’ performance was assessed using analytical scoring on the composite scores. The results of the investigation indicate that the students perform better after inclusion of cooperative learning in the writing skills course. These findings provide support to the positive effects of cooperative learning in enhancing students’ writing skills.
New ESL Teacher for the New Education Policy: A SWOT Analysis
The vision of the New Education Policy (NEP-Draft) 2019 reads: “. . . An India-centred education system that contributes directly to transforming our nation sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society by providing high-quality education to all.” The chapter on Teacher Education reads: “Teacher preparation is an activity that requires multidisciplinary perspectives and knowledge. . . Heartbreakingly, the teacher education sector has been beleaguered with mediocrity . . .” (p.283). The paper works on the assumption that the shift to an India-centred education necessitates addressing several issues. The author-cum-researcher attempts a SWOT analysis of the English as a Second Language (ESL) scenario vis-à-vis NEP 2019. The paper begins by listing perceptions of writers since 1907 and draws on recent research findings to propose appropriate strategies to address the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is hoped that the presentation would benefit curriculum developers keen on preparing a road map for ESL curriculum design and teacher training.
Story-Listening in Indonesia: A Replication Study
This study reports on an attempted replication of four previous Story-Listening studies. Conducted with EFL students from five Asian countries, findings confirmed that subconscious vocabulary acquisition can not only occur from Story-Listening using Comprehension-Aiding Supplementation, but also confirmed that gains are durable.
Comprehension- Aiding Supplementation (CAS).
Application of CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) in Testing the English Language Proficiency Level of Polytechnic Students
In these gadget-driven days, our hunger for electronic devices and technology in every field of human life is growing fast. Several technological devices have been developed and updated in the last few decades. Among them the mobile phone has brought satisfaction in human life. Especially among students it is a very popular tool; they cannot imagine their life without this device. Though parents and teachers are against students carrying mobiles into the classrooms as they distract students from their learning, students are still carried away by its applications. Mobile phones have revolutionized the world with their impressive database over the globe. There are, however, a few possibilities of turning this craze for using mobile phones for learning language and testing their communication skills. This study is an attempt to assess English language skills of students and to motivate the learners to improve their language through mobile applications for language learning. This paper discusses the benefits of using mobile phones for learning purposes, particularly for improving technical students’ English language skills through the British Council English Score, which is an online tool for testing English proficiency level in alignment with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), a globally recognized language proficiency standard. I conducted the English proficiency test with the final year polytechnic students using the British Council app. The paper concludes with the findings of the test and some recommendations.Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL);
Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL)
Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)
Teaching English in Engineering Institutions in India
English plays an important role as it has emerged as the lingua franca for all types of transactions around the globe. It is the language of education, science, technology, business, industry, commerce, law, etc. It acts as the link language in the multicultural and multilingual social setting of a country like India and also has a strong association with higher education, career enhancement and global employability. The teaching of English to learners from different social and cultural backgrounds in engineering institutions is a potent challenge for the language teachers. These include problems like mother tongue interference, lack of motivation to learn and other sociolinguistic factors. This paper focuses on the prominent problems that interfere with obtaining the desired results in the language classrooms and the techniques that can be adopted to overcome them.
Teaching English to engineering students
The Need for a Course in Academic writing: The Perceptions of Undergraduate Engineering Students
Academic writing epitomizes the language of scholarship which helps one to gain eligibility for higher education. The quality of students’ written work determines their scholarship and acceptance in academia. Students who arrive at the university face the challenge of adjusting to the academic writing demands of their chosen field. They usually face unfamiliar writing tasks in their studies, which they find quite difficult. There is a dearth of literature addressing the academic writing needs of students in India. Though the teaching of academic writing has been practised internationally for several years, many universities in India have refrained from explicitly incorporating academic writing skills. Hence, this study attempts to explore the significance of a course in academic writing for undergraduate engineering students.
Colonial and Post-Colonial Praxis of Teaching and Learning English in India
English, once consisting of a few dialects spoken by the inhabitants of a small island, later emerged as a widespread language snowballing throughout the globe and has now attained the status of ‘link language’, ‘global language’ or the means of international communication and is increasingly becoming ubiquitous. The present article aims at highlighting this trajectory in the growth of English in India. The article discusses the factors responsible for such an expansion and acceptance of English language in the Indian context along with a brief account of the obstacles it faced during its spread. Furthermore, the article provides an account of the existing situation of the integration of English language teaching in the curriculum and of using English as the medium of instruction.
This article analyses the causes for the spread of English all over the world. Globalization of language is a recent phenomenon that has revolutionized the cultures, traditions, technologies and lifestyles of people across the globe. In this context, it is fascinating to dwell upon the causes of the rise of a language such as English into the most accepted or most adopted language worldwide. It is essential to understand the factors that shaped modern English. The article outlines the causes of the spread of the English language and its essence in order to appreciate the importance of this ever changing language in the teaching and learning process.
Self-selected reading for pleasure through “Talk to Books” app to improve reading skills among tertiary level learners
As English Language teaching faculty, it is our common experience that a majority of the engineering students lack the required language development, to equip them with the necessary employability skills. Despite twelve years of previous exposure to English language, they remain deprived users of advanced language abilities. Many learners remain poor readers due to non-availability of appropriate resources or ignorance of the significance of reading in their personal and professional life. Of the four language skills (LSRW), reading occupies the most helpful for the acquisition of language and literacy. In this regard, it becomes the prime responsibility of language teachers to inculcate a flair for reading among the students during their formative years. Self-selected reading for pleasure is a tremendous help in language development. This research paper is an attempt at motivating thirty first-year engineering students to develop their reading skills through an app called “Talk to Books” introduced by Google which allows the reader to communicate with a book. It is believed that given an opportunity to select a book of their choice, i.e., self-selected, reading could have an impact in improving reading skills. It involves asking questions and getting responses which can help a reader determine if one is interested in reading that book or not. It further serves as an alternative to the conventional SQ3R strategy of reading. The pre-test and post-test results showed that when the learners used the app it motivated the students in their reading to a considerable extent.