Mir Abdullah Miri

This study explores the impact of English language on the perceived reported experiences of an Afghan English language teacher. The research design for this study is an autoethnography, a method of design which allows the researcher to study himself. The researcher has utilized his language literacy autobiography, personal journals and personal photo albums for the data collection phase of this study. He has employed Appadurai’s (1990) five scapes, dimensions of cultural flow, to explore the impact of English language on his lived experience. The results demonstrated how English language as a global phenomenon has helped me to move from a fruit vendor to a teacher scholar, visit other countries, and know more about his culture and identity. The results also yielded that English has negatively affected my source culture and first language usage. The constructed themes in the currently study offered implications for teaching, research and education authorities.

Jin-yan Huang

Amanda Careena Fernandes

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of the impact of cultural influences on seating arrangements and their impact on student systematic learning in the classroom. Specifically, the following five research questions guided the study: a) What is the impact of different seating arrangements on student systematic learning in the classroom? b) What is the relationship between seating location and student motivation? c) What is the relationship between seating arrangements and student achievement? d) How do seating arrangements affect social interactions within the classroom? And e) what are the similarities and differences in the impact of seating arrangements on student systematic learning in the classroom across China and North America? Data were collected from both the Eastern (i.e., the People’s Republic of China) and the Western (i.e., the United States of America and Canada) cultural contexts. The research instrument used for this study was a survey containing twenty 5-point Likert scale items, one rank order item, and three open-ended questions. Results show there is a deeply embedded difference in cultural factors affecting teachers’ perceptions of seating arrangements and their impact on student systematic learning in the classroom. Important educational implications are discussed.