Volume 14, issue 1

Introduction

This volume of in esse: English Studies in Albania collects papers from two different subject areas, which also form two of the three sections of this issue: Comparative Literature and Education and English Language Teaching. A Book Review section follows at the end.

The first section contains one contribution by Maria Anastasova and Pavel Filipov from South-West University “Neofit Rilski,” Bulgaria. The authors examine Stephen King’s novel 11.22.63, a time traveller’s quest to prevent John Kennedy’s assassination. They draw parallels with Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, as both protagonists are utopists who believe in eliminating wrongdoers. The study argues that the single-handed justice in both novels leads to dystopian visions, resulting in disastrous consequences for the characters’ good intentions. The authors emphasize the author’s exploration of genres and philosophical questions.

The second section, Education and English Language Teaching, has three articles that focus on aspects of education under exceptional circumstances. The first and second contributions from this section make use of the pandemic context to discuss two different aspects: the first, the use of online platforms, and the second, the stress levels experienced by students during the lockdown. The second article paves the way for the third contribution in this section, which discusses anxiety among English language learners at the tertiary level.

The first article, written by Zrinka Fišer from the University of Slavonski Brod, Croatia, is about how the COVID-19 pandemic made online, distant, or e-learning nearly required, which led tertiary-level lecturers and authors to make use of a range of applications that are required to conduct and take part in courses that are offered in an online learning and teaching environment. The author conducted pilot research on the use of Microsoft Teams meetings in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course. The study found that the chat options in Teams led to an informal learning environment, and students’ observation of the lecturer improved overall learning conditions.

Petrit Taraj, University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali”, Albania, and Arta Taraj, Secondary School “Lef Sallata,” Vlora, Albania, conducted a study on the impact of psychological overload, fear of infection, social relationships, and isolation on academic stress among 192 students at the University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found a significant relationship between stress levels and identified factors, and the multivariable linear regression model was successful, explaining 36% of the variance in the dependent variable.

The study by Rudina Vrioni, University of Tirana, Albania, and Migena Balla, University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali,” Albania, conducted at the University of Tirana focuses on classroom anxiety among second language learners. The research, which involved 230 students, found that anxiety significantly impacts their communication in language classes. The study suggests that focusing on oral proficiency, which enhances oral proficiency, can heighten students’ anxiety levels, detracting from the joy of language acquisition. The aim is to provide empirical evidence and explore strategies for mitigating foreign language anxiety.

In the Book Review section, Glenis Maria Mendonça from Carmel College of Arts, Science and Commerce for Women, Nuvem-Goa, discusses Somdev Chatterjee’s book Why Stories Work—The Evolutionary and Cognitive Roots of the Power of Narrative. Chennai: Notion Press, 2023. 112 pp. ISBN 979-8-88935-938-8. Somdev Chatterjee’s book, Why Stories Work—The Evolutionary and Cognitive Roots of the Power of Narrative, delves into the evolution of storytelling, its nature, function, and purpose. It argues that storytelling has been a vital part of human life since ancient times, providing entertainment, learning, and growth. Chatterjee calls storytelling the “secret superpower” that has enabled ancient apes to evolve into the most powerful species. He also explores the origins and causes of our propensity to pay attention to false narratives, positing mental simulation and pretend play as two antecedents. He also discusses the concept of stories as maps of the deepest layer of reality, arguing that humans evolved to understand the demands and possibilities of action presented by their environment. He also discusses how storytellers can manipulate our brains and minds using supernormal stimuli and Ramachandran’s laws of aesthetics. Chatterjee’s book is a useful reference book for those working on narratives, narratology, and stories, providing insights into the place, role, and power of narratives in our everyday lives.

We would like to thank each and every one of our contributors for sharing their opinions and thoughts with us in this edition of in esse. We would especially like to express our gratitude to our reviewers for their incredibly hard work in choosing and assessing the papers for this collection.

  Armela Panajoti, general editor

From Stephen King’s Jake Epping to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Rodion Raskolnikov: How good intentions could lead to the apocalypse  

Maria ANASTASOVA, Pavel FILIPOV,  South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Bulgaria

email: maridiana16@gmail.com

Abstract 

The article focuses on one of Stephen King’s 21st-century novels, 11.22.63, about a time traveller who tries to prevent the assassination of John Kennedy. Although King’s name has been associated primarily with horror fiction, horror is by no means the only domain the author dares to explore. His works often blur genre distinctions, present a scathing criticism of American politics, and pose some philosophical questions. As the end of 11.22.63 reveals a pre-apocalyptic vision of the world in which President Kennedy would have lived, the present study is interested in the reasons behind this plot development. Attention is paid to the personality of John Kennedy and to the motivations behind the decision-making of the main character in the novel. The analysis has led us to certain parallels with Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classics Crime and Punishment, as both protagonists—Jake Epping in 11.22.63 and Rodion Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment—can be seen as utopists who believe that they can make the world a better place by eliminating people who do wrong. We argue that the single-handed doing of justice is the main reason behind the dystopian visions in the two novels, which is why the characters’ good intentions have a disastrous result.

Keywords: Stephen King, John Kennedy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, 11.22.63, apocalyptic vision

The effects of using the Microsoft Teams application interface during an online EFL course

Zrinka FIŠER, University of Slavonski Brod, Croatia

email: zfiser@unisb.hr 

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic rendered online, distant, or e-learning almost mandatory, which oriented tertiary-level lecturers and authors towards the use of a variety of applications necessary to conduct and participate in the courses delivered in an online learning and teaching setting. In an aspiration to comprehend the effects of using the Microsoft Teams meetings as a teaching aid when assigning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course exercises at the University of Slavonski Brod in Croatia, considering learner-instructor (lecturer)-interface interaction more profoundly, the author has conducted pilot research, aiming to define a premise on which to base further investigation. Research suggests that an informal EFL learning setting was established thanks to the Microsoft Teams application’s chat options, that students’ reluctance to use the webcams was deliberate, and that the students’ observation of the lecturer has indeed advanced the overall learning conditions. 

Keywords: COVID‐19, e‐learning, EFL, Microsoft Teams, new paradigm

Assessment of students’ academic stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic

Petrit TARAJ,  University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali”, Albania

Arta TARAJ, Secondary school “Lef Sallata”, Vlora, Albania

email: ptaraj2@gmail.com

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the impact of factors such as psychological overload, fear of infection, social relationships, and isolation on the level of academic stress among students at the University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali,” Albania, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire with 45 variables divided into three sections was used as a data collection instrument by the researchers. A total of 192 students, selected through a simple random sampling method as a probability sample, responded to the survey instrument. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows XP version 16.0) was used to perform data observation and statistical analysis of the factors influencing the increase in students’ academic stress levels. Based on the correlation coefficient values ranging from (.462 ~ .577), the study indicates a significant statistical relationship between the students’ stress level and the factors identified by the factorial analysis. The results of the Adjusted R Square, where R2= .359 explains 36% of the variance in the dependent variable, demonstrate that the multivariable linear regression model is successful.

Keywords: academic factors, students, perception, academic stress

The impact of classroom anxiety on second language acquisition: An investigation of university students’ perceptions of anxiety in English language learning

Rudina VRIONI, University of Tirana, Albania

Migena BALLA, University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali”, Albania

email: rudina.vrioni@unitir.edu.al

Abstract

A tangible and recurrent issue faced by foreign language educators, classroom anxiety among second language learners is a phenomenon that transcends theoretical and research-oriented contexts. Given that effective communication in a foreign language is a primary goal for language learners, contemporary pedagogical trends emphasize the development of oral proficiency, which can, paradoxically, heighten students’ anxiety levels. This paper delves into the prevalence of anxiety in foreign language education and focuses on strategies that educators should employ to address it as an integral facet of productive teaching. Our study involves 230 university students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at the Faculty of History and Philology, University of Tirana, Albania. The principal aim of this exploratory research is to evaluate the phenomenon of foreign language anxiety by validating the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)[ The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS hereafter), is a 33-question, 5-point Likert scale survey which was developed by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope in 1986.  It investigates communication apprehension, test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation in a classroom context.] tailored for English-speaking students while also gauging the extent of anxiety experienced by these students. The findings of our analysis reveal that university students exhibit symptoms of anxiety that significantly impact their communication in language classes. Paradoxically, an increased emphasis on speaking practice, aimed at enhancing oral proficiency, can exacerbate communication apprehension, ultimately detracting from the joy of language acquisition. The objective of this study is to provide empirical evidence and explore strategies for mitigating foreign language anxiety, recognizing it as a pedagogical challenge that impedes students’ learning progress.

Keywords: classroom anxiety, foreign language, students, learning, oral competence.

Somdev Chatterjee. Why Stories Work—The Evolutionary and Cognitive Roots of the Power of Narrative. Chennai: Notion Press, 2023. 112 pp. ISBN 979-8-88935-938-8.

Glenis Maria MENDONÇA, Carmel College of Arts, Science and Commerce for Women, Nuvem-Goa

email: glenismendonca@carmelcollegegoa.org

Somdev Chatterjee's book, "Why Stories Work," is a valuable resource for understanding the role and power of narratives in our everyday lives. It covers various aspects of storytelling, including tools, techniques, language, cognitive functioning, and the impact of storytelling. The book is a must-read for those interested in understanding the story behind stories and highlights the importance of storytelling in human life. It concludes that storytellers restore order with imagination and instill hope.