This paper attempts to argue that in the age of‘World Englishes', it is not necessary to differentiate native speaker teachers from non-native speaker teachers. It is concluded that non-native speaker teachers ca...This paper attempts to argue that in the age of‘World Englishes', it is not necessary to differentiate native speaker teachers from non-native speaker teachers. It is concluded that non-native speaker teachers can be as effective as their native colleagues and they have equal chance to achieve professional success, even though native speaker teachers have great advantages over non-native teachers in some aspects. It is time for employers, as well as ELT professionals to shut their eyes to the glaring differences between native speaker teachers and non-native speaker teachers and optimize such unique resources.展开更多
English, as a language of wide communication, is an international language in both a global and local sense. Its global spread and evolution have been topics of heated discussion. This paper reviews briefly the histor...English, as a language of wide communication, is an international language in both a global and local sense. Its global spread and evolution have been topics of heated discussion. This paper reviews briefly the history and relevant literature of the globalization of English, and explores its implications in English language teaching, especially in the Chinese context.展开更多
Immensely intensive cross-border trade in China has brought English to an unprecedentedly crucial status for communication.As a result,great variety of English accents mushroomed,which often baffles English learners.T...Immensely intensive cross-border trade in China has brought English to an unprecedentedly crucial status for communication.As a result,great variety of English accents mushroomed,which often baffles English learners.The thesis analyzes the English accents issue,World Englishes,in China under the guidance of communicative approach from three perspectives to show the definite necessity of involving accents in English listening teaching for the sake of achieving communicative efficiency and increasing multicultural awareness.Besides,some possibles methods have been brought up for the practical teaching process.展开更多
Exposing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students to different varieties of English can be beneficial in numerous ways, but teachers may be unaware of how they can do this. This paper briefly explains the concep...Exposing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students to different varieties of English can be beneficial in numerous ways, but teachers may be unaware of how they can do this. This paper briefly explains the concept of World Englishes, then describes one teacher's attempt to use the Internet to provide his students with examples of real English from around the world. Finally, it offers a selection of positive student responses to the experience.展开更多
It is well-known that English is a global language.People around the world are not speaking a certain type of English but different varieties of English.With the increasingly awareness of this phenomenon,the word“Eng...It is well-known that English is a global language.People around the world are not speaking a certain type of English but different varieties of English.With the increasingly awareness of this phenomenon,the word“Englishes”has been widely applied.This essay is to focus on the issue of“Englishes function as lingua franca”by discussing whether“English as a lingua franca”is a distinct variety.展开更多
English has not only become the international language, as it is spoken by a large number of native speakers of other languages and severs as a language of wider communication, but also has achieved a genuinely global...English has not only become the international language, as it is spoken by a large number of native speakers of other languages and severs as a language of wider communication, but also has achieved a genuinely global status. Thus the spread of English provides language teachers with an abundance of data for relating second language issues to pedagogical concerns. To achieve positive pedagogical goals, it is very essential for language teachers to be aware of the status and functions of Englishes in the world today and in the future as well. To serve the purpose, this article suggests that varieties of English should be taught and special attention should be paid to teaching culture in our College English classroom so as to help our students to establish a sphere of interculturalism.展开更多
The global spread of English is remarkable, for it has developed many different non-native varieties of English("world Englishes"). On account of the varieties of English, the essay reviews briefly historica...The global spread of English is remarkable, for it has developed many different non-native varieties of English("world Englishes"). On account of the varieties of English, the essay reviews briefly historical causes and relevant literature for English globalization. The issues of English localization, who is qualified as English instructor, what kind of English to learn and how is English changing in China are included. The essay discusses also the implications of World Englishes for English language learning and proposes three points in the context of learning English in China:(1) English language learning should take into account the changes of English;(2)attitude towards global and local English variants should be properly treated;(3)compared with English test results, more attention must be paid to practical communication competences.展开更多
This paper aims to discuss the growth of EIL (English as an international language), which leads English to be used around the world and adapted by different cultures because people use this language based on their ...This paper aims to discuss the growth of EIL (English as an international language), which leads English to be used around the world and adapted by different cultures because people use this language based on their own identity For Indonesians who learn EFL (English as a foreign language), for instance, they do not need to adapt to a new culture. In EFL learning process, acquiring a native speaker accent seems to be unnecessary because there is no single standard of pronunciation. In addition, it is not necessary to ask learners imitating Western culture. Learning English can be viewed as an opportunity for Indonesians to have cross-cultural awareness. Despite its potentially positive consequences, learning English can also lead to a serious problem. This statement is based on the reason that English has greater social power than the Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia) because it is now used as a medium in several aspects of life. Furthermore, English is more accessible because of the global spread of information using this language through media, such as television and Internet. Consequently, it is possible that Indonesian learners would take pride in using English in their daily lives. The primary method used in this paper is literature investigation. From the discussion, it is found that EFL teachers are expected to be able to know the goal of foreign language teaching and its final product, comprehend the importance of a communicative approach, and give learners understanding that each nation has its own culture and there is no superiority among others. It is also important for them to respect languages and cultures in which the teaching and learning process occurs. In other words, teachers' cultural sensitivity is needed展开更多
To explore the representation of users and uses of Englishes in the textbooks,a series of English textbooks for junior high school in China were examined in this study.Findings from analysis of representations of user...To explore the representation of users and uses of Englishes in the textbooks,a series of English textbooks for junior high school in China were examined in this study.Findings from analysis of representations of users and uses of Englishes were presented.The results show that China,the UK and the US are dominant in the representations of users.Outer circle countries and expanding countries(other than China)have no clear representations.展开更多
English isthe most respectable language and the most universally read and spoken language in the world. However, with the spread of English there are a lot of "varieties" of English. When English is referred to as a...English isthe most respectable language and the most universally read and spoken language in the world. However, with the spread of English there are a lot of "varieties" of English. When English is referred to as a "world" language, we frequently hear reference to World Englishes. With the internationalization of English, EIL (English as International Language) is being taught today in a wide diversity of contexts; any sound pedagogy must be informed by a theory of language learning and teaching that is sufficiently complex to account for this diversity. The essay is intended to argue for teaching a certain Standard English, British, American or Australian English in the context of China. The overall purpose of the bilingual users of English, is to use English as a language of wider communication in a global and sometimes also in a local sense, as well as to access the vast amount of information currently available in English, and also to contribute to this knowledge basis.展开更多
This paper aims to explore how the study of sociolinguistics can benefit teachers,particularly in the context of teaching English as a Foreign Language(EFL)in China.The article will first examine how sociolinguistic k...This paper aims to explore how the study of sociolinguistics can benefit teachers,particularly in the context of teaching English as a Foreign Language(EFL)in China.The article will first examine how sociolinguistic knowledge can reshape teachers’perceptions of“English,”focusing on aspects such as English varieties,World Englishes,and Chinese English.Following that,the article discusses the necessity of rethinking current practices in English language teaching,including the nativeness paradigm and the concept of communicative competence based on a reconceptualized view of“English.”Additionally,the discussion will focus on how teachers,informed by sociolinguistic awareness of non-native teachers’identities and teacher agency,can address and resolve existing challenges in EFL teaching.Finally,the article will conclude by summarizing the key issues discussed and highlighting the significance of studying sociolinguistics for language practitioners in China.展开更多
The article mainly explores the current concept of World Englishes and its implication for language teaching.After the history and present definition of World Englishes have been discussed in a broad perspective,the a...The article mainly explores the current concept of World Englishes and its implication for language teaching.After the history and present definition of World Englishes have been discussed in a broad perspective,the author continues to talk about the influence of World Englishes on World Language Education.Chinese English education is then specifically addressed with implications given for both policy-makers and classroom teachers of English.展开更多
With the rapid development of the education industry,higher requirements have been put forward for college English education and teaching,accelerating the pace of college English reform.Issues such as how to integrate...With the rapid development of the education industry,higher requirements have been put forward for college English education and teaching,accelerating the pace of college English reform.Issues such as how to integrate knowledge transmission,language expression skill improvement,cultural element extraction,and ideological and political education,and present the role of curriculum education function have attracted attention.In the era of informatization,college students’thinking has undergone certain changes and gradually developed towards diversification.Therefore,universities should start from the perspective of cultural confidence,extract valuable ideological and political elements,and explore effective tourism ideological and political teaching methods.While helping college students enhance their cultural confidence,it is also beneficial for them to better inherit traditional Chinese culture.This article conducts an in-depth exploration of ideological and political education in college English courses from the perspective of“cultural confidence”and uses scientific and effective measures to solve the problems encountered,aiming to provide valuable guidelines for relevant researchers.展开更多
The Outcome-Based Education(OBE)educational concept,proposed by renowned American educator Spady,aims to guide students in mastering learning laws and ultimately achieving expected learning outcomes.The application of...The Outcome-Based Education(OBE)educational concept,proposed by renowned American educator Spady,aims to guide students in mastering learning laws and ultimately achieving expected learning outcomes.The application of OBE educational concept in Hospitality English curriculum not only can effectively enhance the learning effect but also promote the reform of the Hospitality English curriculum,thus improving students’learning enthusiasm.Therefore,taking the Hospitality English curriculum as an example,this paper points out the existing problems in the teaching of this course and suggests the reform measures based on the OBE teaching concept,hoping to provide guidelines for related educational work.展开更多
In China,English teachers usually take a three-step approach to grammar teaching,namely,the presentation—practice—production principle(3P Principle).This method consists of both“morphology”and“syntax.”It adopts ...In China,English teachers usually take a three-step approach to grammar teaching,namely,the presentation—practice—production principle(3P Principle).This method consists of both“morphology”and“syntax.”It adopts the traditional mode of grammar teaching,including knowledge presentation,grammar exercises,and grammatical competence production,which will inevitably lead to time consumption and low efficiency in grammar learning.This study is about cultivating English majors'grammatical competence through the theoretical mode of grammar teaching.The research results show that the theoretical mode of grammar teaching helps cultivate learners'grammatical competence.展开更多
While a plethora of studies has been conducted to explore demotivation and its impact on mental health in second language(L2)education,scanty research focuses on demotivation in L2 speaking learning.Particularly,littl...While a plethora of studies has been conducted to explore demotivation and its impact on mental health in second language(L2)education,scanty research focuses on demotivation in L2 speaking learning.Particularly,little research explores the measures to quantify L2 speaking demotivation.The present two-phase study attempts to develop and validate an English Speaking Demotivation Scale(ESDS).To this end,an independent sample of 207 Chinese tertiary learners of English as a Foreign Language(EFL)participated in the development phase,and another group of 188 Chinese EFL learners was recruited for the validation of the scale.Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA)and Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)were employed to determine the factor structure of the scale.The EFA results revealed a six-factor solution with Teacher-related Factors in Learning Spoken English(TFLSE),Interest and Valence in Learning Spoken English(IVLSE),Self-efficacy in Learning Spoken English(SELSE),Negative Peer Influence in Learning Spoken English(NPILSE),Undesirable Environment for Learning Spoken English(UELSE),and Negative Influence of Assessment and Learning Materials in speaking class(NIALM).In the validation phase,Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)was performed to validate the internal structure of the scale.The CFA results showed that the model fits the data well.Overall,the ESDS is a robust and trustworthy psychometric tool that could be utilized to examine L2 speaking demotivation.Implications for diminishing EFL learners’demotivation,lessening their aversive emotions and promoting their mental health are also discussed.展开更多
With the development of the global economy and the quick growth of international exchanges,Business English major plays an increasingly important role in higher education.The training goal of Business English major(pu...With the development of the global economy and the quick growth of international exchanges,Business English major plays an increasingly important role in higher education.The training goal of Business English major(publishing direction)has gradually shifted from the improvement of studentslanguage abilities to the cultivation of more specialized business knowledge and publishing skills.As an important course for Business English majors(publishing direction),Printing English is of great significance for cultivating studentsprofessional quality,professional competitiveness,career development,and practical ability.From the perspective of curriculum setting,it is necessary to re-understand the importance of Printing English in the curriculum setting of Business English major(publishing direction),and put forward corresponding teaching methods and strategies.展开更多
Reading is one of the core skills in English learning.It is indispensable for EFL learners to develop good English reading literacy in primary schools.English picture books are consistent with pupils’cognitive and th...Reading is one of the core skills in English learning.It is indispensable for EFL learners to develop good English reading literacy in primary schools.English picture books are consistent with pupils’cognitive and thinking modes,which is valuable to improve their English reading literacy.However,at present,most Chinese pupils have some problems in English reading.The paper aims at analyzing the current problems in Chinese pupils’English reading and digging out the values and strategies of English picture book reading,so as to stimulate their reading interests,cultivate their intercultural awareness,and improve their English reading literacy.展开更多
In China,English is required in every school of China and many achievements have been made in this part of the world.The English level of Chinese has been greatly improved but the problems still exist in this country....In China,English is required in every school of China and many achievements have been made in this part of the world.The English level of Chinese has been greatly improved but the problems still exist in this country.Communicative approach and many other successful teaching methods have been employed;however,the problems in English teaching still occur and last to the present time.Many efforts have been made to have outstanding and successful results in English teaching.We therefore hope much success will be achieved as quickly as possible.展开更多
文摘This paper attempts to argue that in the age of‘World Englishes', it is not necessary to differentiate native speaker teachers from non-native speaker teachers. It is concluded that non-native speaker teachers can be as effective as their native colleagues and they have equal chance to achieve professional success, even though native speaker teachers have great advantages over non-native teachers in some aspects. It is time for employers, as well as ELT professionals to shut their eyes to the glaring differences between native speaker teachers and non-native speaker teachers and optimize such unique resources.
文摘English, as a language of wide communication, is an international language in both a global and local sense. Its global spread and evolution have been topics of heated discussion. This paper reviews briefly the history and relevant literature of the globalization of English, and explores its implications in English language teaching, especially in the Chinese context.
文摘Immensely intensive cross-border trade in China has brought English to an unprecedentedly crucial status for communication.As a result,great variety of English accents mushroomed,which often baffles English learners.The thesis analyzes the English accents issue,World Englishes,in China under the guidance of communicative approach from three perspectives to show the definite necessity of involving accents in English listening teaching for the sake of achieving communicative efficiency and increasing multicultural awareness.Besides,some possibles methods have been brought up for the practical teaching process.
文摘Exposing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students to different varieties of English can be beneficial in numerous ways, but teachers may be unaware of how they can do this. This paper briefly explains the concept of World Englishes, then describes one teacher's attempt to use the Internet to provide his students with examples of real English from around the world. Finally, it offers a selection of positive student responses to the experience.
文摘It is well-known that English is a global language.People around the world are not speaking a certain type of English but different varieties of English.With the increasingly awareness of this phenomenon,the word“Englishes”has been widely applied.This essay is to focus on the issue of“Englishes function as lingua franca”by discussing whether“English as a lingua franca”is a distinct variety.
文摘English has not only become the international language, as it is spoken by a large number of native speakers of other languages and severs as a language of wider communication, but also has achieved a genuinely global status. Thus the spread of English provides language teachers with an abundance of data for relating second language issues to pedagogical concerns. To achieve positive pedagogical goals, it is very essential for language teachers to be aware of the status and functions of Englishes in the world today and in the future as well. To serve the purpose, this article suggests that varieties of English should be taught and special attention should be paid to teaching culture in our College English classroom so as to help our students to establish a sphere of interculturalism.
文摘The global spread of English is remarkable, for it has developed many different non-native varieties of English("world Englishes"). On account of the varieties of English, the essay reviews briefly historical causes and relevant literature for English globalization. The issues of English localization, who is qualified as English instructor, what kind of English to learn and how is English changing in China are included. The essay discusses also the implications of World Englishes for English language learning and proposes three points in the context of learning English in China:(1) English language learning should take into account the changes of English;(2)attitude towards global and local English variants should be properly treated;(3)compared with English test results, more attention must be paid to practical communication competences.
文摘This paper aims to discuss the growth of EIL (English as an international language), which leads English to be used around the world and adapted by different cultures because people use this language based on their own identity For Indonesians who learn EFL (English as a foreign language), for instance, they do not need to adapt to a new culture. In EFL learning process, acquiring a native speaker accent seems to be unnecessary because there is no single standard of pronunciation. In addition, it is not necessary to ask learners imitating Western culture. Learning English can be viewed as an opportunity for Indonesians to have cross-cultural awareness. Despite its potentially positive consequences, learning English can also lead to a serious problem. This statement is based on the reason that English has greater social power than the Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia) because it is now used as a medium in several aspects of life. Furthermore, English is more accessible because of the global spread of information using this language through media, such as television and Internet. Consequently, it is possible that Indonesian learners would take pride in using English in their daily lives. The primary method used in this paper is literature investigation. From the discussion, it is found that EFL teachers are expected to be able to know the goal of foreign language teaching and its final product, comprehend the importance of a communicative approach, and give learners understanding that each nation has its own culture and there is no superiority among others. It is also important for them to respect languages and cultures in which the teaching and learning process occurs. In other words, teachers' cultural sensitivity is needed
文摘To explore the representation of users and uses of Englishes in the textbooks,a series of English textbooks for junior high school in China were examined in this study.Findings from analysis of representations of users and uses of Englishes were presented.The results show that China,the UK and the US are dominant in the representations of users.Outer circle countries and expanding countries(other than China)have no clear representations.
文摘English isthe most respectable language and the most universally read and spoken language in the world. However, with the spread of English there are a lot of "varieties" of English. When English is referred to as a "world" language, we frequently hear reference to World Englishes. With the internationalization of English, EIL (English as International Language) is being taught today in a wide diversity of contexts; any sound pedagogy must be informed by a theory of language learning and teaching that is sufficiently complex to account for this diversity. The essay is intended to argue for teaching a certain Standard English, British, American or Australian English in the context of China. The overall purpose of the bilingual users of English, is to use English as a language of wider communication in a global and sometimes also in a local sense, as well as to access the vast amount of information currently available in English, and also to contribute to this knowledge basis.
文摘This paper aims to explore how the study of sociolinguistics can benefit teachers,particularly in the context of teaching English as a Foreign Language(EFL)in China.The article will first examine how sociolinguistic knowledge can reshape teachers’perceptions of“English,”focusing on aspects such as English varieties,World Englishes,and Chinese English.Following that,the article discusses the necessity of rethinking current practices in English language teaching,including the nativeness paradigm and the concept of communicative competence based on a reconceptualized view of“English.”Additionally,the discussion will focus on how teachers,informed by sociolinguistic awareness of non-native teachers’identities and teacher agency,can address and resolve existing challenges in EFL teaching.Finally,the article will conclude by summarizing the key issues discussed and highlighting the significance of studying sociolinguistics for language practitioners in China.
文摘The article mainly explores the current concept of World Englishes and its implication for language teaching.After the history and present definition of World Englishes have been discussed in a broad perspective,the author continues to talk about the influence of World Englishes on World Language Education.Chinese English education is then specifically addressed with implications given for both policy-makers and classroom teachers of English.
文摘With the rapid development of the education industry,higher requirements have been put forward for college English education and teaching,accelerating the pace of college English reform.Issues such as how to integrate knowledge transmission,language expression skill improvement,cultural element extraction,and ideological and political education,and present the role of curriculum education function have attracted attention.In the era of informatization,college students’thinking has undergone certain changes and gradually developed towards diversification.Therefore,universities should start from the perspective of cultural confidence,extract valuable ideological and political elements,and explore effective tourism ideological and political teaching methods.While helping college students enhance their cultural confidence,it is also beneficial for them to better inherit traditional Chinese culture.This article conducts an in-depth exploration of ideological and political education in college English courses from the perspective of“cultural confidence”and uses scientific and effective measures to solve the problems encountered,aiming to provide valuable guidelines for relevant researchers.
基金This article is a research result of the key project of teaching reform in higher vocational education in Heilongjiang Province,“Research on the Construction and Practice of English Major Courses in the Integrated Training Model for Middle and High-Level Vocational Education under the OBE Perspective”(Project number:SJGZZ20220035).
文摘The Outcome-Based Education(OBE)educational concept,proposed by renowned American educator Spady,aims to guide students in mastering learning laws and ultimately achieving expected learning outcomes.The application of OBE educational concept in Hospitality English curriculum not only can effectively enhance the learning effect but also promote the reform of the Hospitality English curriculum,thus improving students’learning enthusiasm.Therefore,taking the Hospitality English curriculum as an example,this paper points out the existing problems in the teaching of this course and suggests the reform measures based on the OBE teaching concept,hoping to provide guidelines for related educational work.
基金funded by the 2022 Hunan Vocational Education Teaching Reform Research Project“Research on the Cultivation of Critical Thinking Ability for Business English Majors in Vocational Colleges Under the Concept of Curriculum Ideology and Politics (Project approval No.:ZJGB2022058)”the 2022 General Funded Project of Hunan Social Science Achievement Review Committee“Research on the Development and Diagnostic Evaluation of Critical Thinking Ability Scale for English Learners based on CSE (Project approval No.:XSP22YBZ086).”。
文摘In China,English teachers usually take a three-step approach to grammar teaching,namely,the presentation—practice—production principle(3P Principle).This method consists of both“morphology”and“syntax.”It adopts the traditional mode of grammar teaching,including knowledge presentation,grammar exercises,and grammatical competence production,which will inevitably lead to time consumption and low efficiency in grammar learning.This study is about cultivating English majors'grammatical competence through the theoretical mode of grammar teaching.The research results show that the theoretical mode of grammar teaching helps cultivate learners'grammatical competence.
基金the Humanities and Social Sciences Project,China’s Ministry of Education(Grant Number:22YJA740016)the Key Project of Hubei Provincial Department of Education Philosophy and Social Science Research Fund(No.21ZD051)the Teaching and Research Fund of Hubei University of Technology(No.Xiao2022018).
文摘While a plethora of studies has been conducted to explore demotivation and its impact on mental health in second language(L2)education,scanty research focuses on demotivation in L2 speaking learning.Particularly,little research explores the measures to quantify L2 speaking demotivation.The present two-phase study attempts to develop and validate an English Speaking Demotivation Scale(ESDS).To this end,an independent sample of 207 Chinese tertiary learners of English as a Foreign Language(EFL)participated in the development phase,and another group of 188 Chinese EFL learners was recruited for the validation of the scale.Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA)and Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)were employed to determine the factor structure of the scale.The EFA results revealed a six-factor solution with Teacher-related Factors in Learning Spoken English(TFLSE),Interest and Valence in Learning Spoken English(IVLSE),Self-efficacy in Learning Spoken English(SELSE),Negative Peer Influence in Learning Spoken English(NPILSE),Undesirable Environment for Learning Spoken English(UELSE),and Negative Influence of Assessment and Learning Materials in speaking class(NIALM).In the validation phase,Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)was performed to validate the internal structure of the scale.The CFA results showed that the model fits the data well.Overall,the ESDS is a robust and trustworthy psychometric tool that could be utilized to examine L2 speaking demotivation.Implications for diminishing EFL learners’demotivation,lessening their aversive emotions and promoting their mental health are also discussed.
文摘With the development of the global economy and the quick growth of international exchanges,Business English major plays an increasingly important role in higher education.The training goal of Business English major(publishing direction)has gradually shifted from the improvement of studentslanguage abilities to the cultivation of more specialized business knowledge and publishing skills.As an important course for Business English majors(publishing direction),Printing English is of great significance for cultivating studentsprofessional quality,professional competitiveness,career development,and practical ability.From the perspective of curriculum setting,it is necessary to re-understand the importance of Printing English in the curriculum setting of Business English major(publishing direction),and put forward corresponding teaching methods and strategies.
基金This paper is one of the results of the research programs the author participated“Research on Primary School English Picture Book Reading Teaching Practice from the Perspective of Subject Core Literacy”(Grant Fund No.2022ZJY1214)the key project of the“14th Five-Year Plan”for Education Science in Guangxi in 2022.
文摘Reading is one of the core skills in English learning.It is indispensable for EFL learners to develop good English reading literacy in primary schools.English picture books are consistent with pupils’cognitive and thinking modes,which is valuable to improve their English reading literacy.However,at present,most Chinese pupils have some problems in English reading.The paper aims at analyzing the current problems in Chinese pupils’English reading and digging out the values and strategies of English picture book reading,so as to stimulate their reading interests,cultivate their intercultural awareness,and improve their English reading literacy.
文摘In China,English is required in every school of China and many achievements have been made in this part of the world.The English level of Chinese has been greatly improved but the problems still exist in this country.Communicative approach and many other successful teaching methods have been employed;however,the problems in English teaching still occur and last to the present time.Many efforts have been made to have outstanding and successful results in English teaching.We therefore hope much success will be achieved as quickly as possible.