ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Paper-Based Portfolios and Weblog-Based Electronic Portfolios on Limited English Proficiency Students in Writing for Service Industry Course
Author: Wanchid, Raveewan
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Web Sites,Diaries,Electronic Publishing,Limited English Speaking,Writing Instruction,Writing Achievement,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Portfolio Assessment,Tourism,Hospitality Occupations,Educational Technology,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Comparative Analysis,Evaluation Methods,Statistical Analysis,Writing Tests,Questionnaires,Qualitative Research,Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Semi Structured Interviews

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of the use of paper-based and weblog-based electronic portfolios on the writing achievement of limited English proficiency students, to survey the students' attitudes towards the use of the portfolio assessment, and to compare the viewpoints of the students in the control and experimental groups. The study was conducted with 60 second-year hotel and tourism students enrolled in the Writing for the Service Industry course. They had limited English proficiency, as their previous English grades were C or below in average. The simple random sampling technique was used for subject selection and group assignment. Google's free weblog website (located at www.blogger.com) was used as a tool for creating and developing the students' personal electronic portfolios. At the beginning of the course, the students in the control group and the experimental group were trained in the concept of portfolios, and the purposes, content, and criteria used for assessment were discussed with the students. A writing achievement test and a closed-ended questionnaire were used for the quantitative data collection, while the qualitative data were gathered from the open-ended questions, interviews, and reflection. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were employed for the data analysis. It was found that the effects of the use of paper-based portfolios and weblog-based electronic portfolios on the writing achievement were not significantly different, but some promising results of the use of weblog-based electronic portfolios for language learning and assessment are indisputable.
A Brief Survey of English Education of Tibetan Primary School in Ganzi County
Author: He, Xiaojun
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary Education,FLES,English (Second Language),Counties,Surveys,Questionnaires,Interviews,Elementary School Students

The current social backgrounds have made English learning become an important part in every Chinese student's life. Tibetan students begin to study Tibetan, Chinese and English from primary school. However, in many Chinese ethnic-minorities areas like Tibetan areas, English education is facing many problems and challenges, especially the English education in primary schools. This thesis uses the field survey, questionnaires and interviews to study the general situation of English education in primary schools of Ganzi County. Then from the analyses of these surveys, this thesis aims to find the major problems and gives some creative solutions to them and let more people know the situation of English teaching in Tibetan primary schools and make them give more available suggestions.
Vocabulary Levels and Size of Malaysian Undergraduates
Author: Harji, Madhubala Bava
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocabulary,English (Second Language),Knowledge Level,College Freshmen,Gender Differences,Private Colleges

Vocabulary is a fundamental requirement of language acquisition, and its competence enables independent reading and effective language acquisition. Effective language use requires adequate level of vocabulary knowledge; therefore, efforts must be made to identify students' vocabulary base for greater efficiency and competency in the language. Students with limited vocabulary size may fail to comprehend the contents of the reading materials and their learning may be impaired. This study had aimed to address this concern and sets out to examine the vocabulary knowledge, i.e. in terms of vocabulary level and size of undergraduates at a private university in Malaysia, where English is the medium of instruction. 120 first year undergraduates from three academic programs, who participated in this study, sat for the Nation and Laufer's (1999), Version A of Productive Vocabulary Levels Test, which is recommended and used for diagnostic purposes. The findings show that almost none of the students have acquired the vocabulary required at UWL, and most of them managed to acquire only a 2000 word level at Level A. At UWL, a larger proportion fell on the lower scale, implicating that their vocabulary knowledge is insufficient to cope with the reading text and possibly with the studies at the university.
Pedagogical Significance of Morphological Awareness in Korean and English
Author: Jong, Young Ok
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Morphology (Languages),Phonological Awareness,Korean,English,Foreign Countries,Native Speakers,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Primary Education,Elementary School Students,Gender Differences,Grades (Scholastic),Verbal Ability,Task Analysis,Reading Comprehension,Word Recognition,Scores,Statistical Analysis,Multiple Regression Analysis,Statistical Significance,Correlation,Orthographic Symbols,Factor Analysis

This study investigated whether Korean children understand the internal structure of compound words in Korean and English and whether there is a relationship between their performance in tasks that measure their understanding of the morphological structure of compounds in Korean and English. This study also examined the effects of gender, grade, and verbal ability on the performance of the Korean and English tasks. 106 primary school children completed a Korean and English compound task, which consisted of 32 compound test items in Korean and in English respectively. Each compound task included 16 comprehension test items and 16 production test items. Half of them were real words and the other half were pseudo words. The structures of the compounds were noun-noun or noun-verb. Korean task scores made a significant contribution to predicting English test scores after controlling for gender, grade, and verbal ability. It is concluded that L1 task performance can be a significant factor in L2 task performance, supporting evidence that L1 morphological awareness is transferable to L2 morphological processes. From a pedagogical perspective, research findings will be useful for teachers when designing compound tasks to develop Korean children's morphological awareness for language and literacy development in English.
The Contextual over the Referential in Military Translation
Author: Al-Ma'ani, Musallam
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Semitic Languages,Undergraduate Students,Dictionaries,Translation,Context Effect,Languages for Special Purposes,Technology

Dictionaries of all types, monolingual or bilingual, specialized or general, form the basic tools for both undergraduate translation students (UTSs) and professional translators (PTs). However, it is generally accepted that the difference between UTSs and PTs is that UTSs normally over-rely on dictionaries, which produces unsatisfactory results. For it is not only the lexical meaning provided by dictionaries that is important in translation, but also the contextual meaning. Hence, it is the USTs' ability to translate and use specialized terms/words appropriately within the context of situation and, by extension, within the larger world of the text, which is crucial. The aim of the article is to address issues related to Arabic military translation. In particular, it focuses on the long-standing relationship between specialized terms and translation and how terms may influence the UTSs' quality and accuracy, given that Arabic suffers from difficulties in handling and standardizing specialized technical terms. Data were drawn from translations by undergraduate students at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. The analysis shows that students faced problems at understanding technical information as well as technical terms and collocations. It was also noted that two of the better bilingual dictionaries turned out to be of little help. The examples discussed provide pointers to the challenges that would face UTSs when handling technical translation in their early careers.
The Use of Humourous Texts in Improving ESL Learners' Vocabulary Comprehension and Retention
Author: Zabidin, Nursyafiqah Binti
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Humor,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Vocabulary,Comprehension,Retention (Psychology),College Students,Pretests Posttests,Comparative Analysis,Second Language Instruction,Reading Materials,Language Tests,Questionnaires

Successful language acquisition requires extensive word knowledge. However, learners are reportedly unable to increase their word knowledge due to insufficient meaningful input in the language classrooms. This paper intended to present another tool to encourage learners' vocabulary development. It examined the effect(s) of using short narrative jokes on ESL learners' word comprehension and retention. The study involved an experiment in which two intact groups of tertiary students attended four reading sessions. In each reading session, before they began reading, the participants were given a vocabulary test (pre-test) to measure vocabulary recognition of the target words. The experimental group was then exposed to short humourous text while the control group was exposed to comparable non-humourous text. After each reading session, the participants were given immediate vocabulary test (post-test 1) to measure vocabulary comprehension. After a week, the participants were given delayed vocabulary test (post-test 2) to measure vocabulary retention. The participants' gain scores were assessed by comparing their post-test 1 to pre-test score. Lastly, the gain scores and scores in delayed vocabulary test of the two groups were compared using &quot;t&quot; test. The findings of this study indicated that humour could relatively influence word comprehension and retention. One of its implications is for language teachers to include humour in vocabulary teaching and learning.
A Brief Literature Review on Acculturation Strategies of Overseas Students
Author: Fu, Kefeng
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Literature Reviews,Acculturation,Foreign Students,Student Adjustment,Change Strategies,Social Integration,Behavior Theories,Educational History,Educational Development,Models,Participant Characteristics,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries

Acculturation strategy has been an integral and essential part in the field of acculturation study. The fact that an increasing number of international overseas students wave into China renders this research urgently in need; and new theoretical models emerged constantly, which have had a significant effect on the immigration policies in China. This paper, based on the exemplification of the significance of acculturation study, aims to display the setting, clarify such three frequently confusing terms as adaptation, acculturation, adjustment by comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences before fixing the acculturation as this study's preference, then presents a brief but clear description of the history, dimensions, and subjects of acculturation study, and finally discuss two kinds of acculturation modes, four acculturation strategies in particular held by John Berry: assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization.
The Crucial Point in Time Where Thai Students Are Introduced English Language Writing
Author: Dueraman, Bayatee
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Writing Instruction,College Students,College Faculty,Questionnaires,Interviews,Qualitative Research,Writing Skills,Grounded Theory,Measures (Individuals)

There have been interests in finding appropriate ways in which students learn to write in English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL). Educators should be aware that ESL/EFL learners are less privileged in terms of exposure to the target language when compared to their English native speaker counterparts. Ironically, writing instructions to date are based on first language writing theory. This paper aims at examining relevant factors which instigate Thai EFL learners to write English in their home country where it is not commonly used in both media and daily communication. The data were collected from seven English majors and two writing teachers from two leading universities in Thailand through an open-ended questionnaire and interviews and relevant documents. Then, they were analysed qualitatively. Results showed that only students who chose to major in English at universities in Thailand were given opportunities to experience writing skills. Theoretical lacks in existing literature related to introduction of English writing to ESL/EFL learners and how the present argument fulfills the gap were highlighted. Towards the end, it concludes with some insights for teachers and educators of students who live in similar EFL contexts. It is hoped that an informed and systematic implementation of English curriculum in Thailand will be materialized.
Implications of Second Language Acquisition Theory for Business English Teaching in Current China
Author: Wenzhong, Zhu
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Language Acquisition,English (Second Language),English Instruction,Second Language Instruction,Business English,Applied Linguistics,Linguistic Theory,Curriculum Design,Media Selection,Teaching Methods,Performance Based Assessment,Educational Theories,Educational Practices

Second language acquisition (SLA) as a sub-branch of applied linguistics has been researched by Chinese and foreign scholars for over 40 years, but few researches have been done on its implications for Business English teaching which needs more language teaching theories to support. This paper makes a review of related studies, and puts forward a systematic framework of exploring the essential implications of second language acquisition theory for Business English teaching in current China based on the SLA concepts of input hypothesis, output hypothesis, affective filter hypothesis, learner-centered approach, natural language context, communicative approach, etc. along the whole process of Business English teaching. It concludes that the theory of SLA is applicable for Business English teaching in China and has essential implications in Business English curriculum design, teaching material selection, teaching method selection, and performance evaluation.
A Case Study into the Writing of Chinese Postgraduate Students in a UK Academic Environment
Author: Lan, Feng
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Asians,Graduate Students,Foreign Students,Writing (Composition),Academic Discourse,Qualitative Research,College Faculty,Masters Programs,Teacher Expectations of Students,Feedback (Response),Interviews

This case study explores the problematic issues in academic writing of three Chinese postgraduate students studying in UK academic environment. It aims to attempt to identify mismatches in lecturer and postgraduate student expectations and to understand the reasoning behind these mismatches from the students' perspective. This study was carried out based on the extended academic essay assignment feedback of three British lecturers on a Postgraduate Masters course in Human Resource Management. By using research method of qualitative analysis, this present study found that eight categories of negative comments. It contains lack of criticality; lack of voice; unreferenced sources, unsubstantiated statements, plagiarism; inappropriate referencing conventions; lack of clear relevance and focus; inappropriate academic style; unclear expression (language concerns) and cohesive and structural weaknesses. And then, it has been concluded that the pedagogical implications of such research are far-reaching. The students themselves require a far greater understanding not only of what is expected of them, but also of how to meet these expectations in practice and trainers need to focus on the development of the schemata.
Language Teacher Burnout and School Type
Author: Mukundan, Jayakaran
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Teacher Burnout,Elementary School Teachers,Institutional Characteristics,Elementary Schools,Measures (Individuals),Statistical Analysis,Surveys

The present study was an attempt to explore the level of burnout among primary school teachers in Malaysia. In addition, the study tried to determine if the school type has any significant influence on teachers' burnout level. To this end, 714 primary school teachers participated in the study. They were teaching at Malay (SK), Tamil (SJKT), and Chinese (SJKC) medium schools. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES) (Maslach, Jackson, &amp; Schwab, 1986) was used to collect the data on the teachers' burnout. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that the teachers' burnout ranged from moderate to low level. In addition, it was found that the teachers working at SJKC experienced lower level of Personal Accomplishments (PA) than those at SK and SJKT schools.
Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Blended Learning for English Courses: A Case Study of Students at University of Bisha
Author: Ja'ashan, Mohammed Mohammed Nasser Hassan
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Blended Learning,Student Attitudes,Case Studies,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Electronic Learning,Student Surveys,Undergraduate Students,Negative Attitudes,Positive Attitudes

This paper presents a case study of students' perceptions and attitudes towards Blended Learning course in English at University of Bisha. The statement of problem that blended learning of English course annoys students at University of Bisha. Most of the students do not understand well the objectives of e learning through blended learning courses or mostly deal with the blackboard system &quot;Learning Management System&quot; (LMC). This paper identifies the perceptions and attitudes that blended learning provides to students' learning experiences as well as to investigate negative impressions in blended English courses from the learners' perception. This paper also outlines the concept of blended learning courses and e-learning from students' viewpoints. In this paper, the author conducted a survey through a questionnaire at University of Bisha, English department from eight levels of undergraduate program in both boys and girls colleges. There are (130) respondents enrolled in English department. The questionnaire was designed to measure the students' perceptions and attitudes towards BL. This study concludes that in general the students 'perceptions and attitudes towards BL were positive in terms of the three domains in the questionnaire. Moreover, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning process. As well as learners can decide when and how to use the resources provided. This study also concludes that blended learning is as effective as face to face learning in developing and improving knowledge and skills. It reflects the students' negative impressions in some points as waste of time, easy cheating and social isolation, etc.
EFL Secondary School Teachers' Views on Blended Learning in Tabuk City
Author: Alfahadi, Abdulrahman M.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary School Teachers,English Teachers,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Blended Learning,Teacher Attitudes,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Likert Scales

The aim of this study is to investigate EFL Secondary School Teachers' Views on Blended Learning. It also aims to investigate (a) the teachers' views on blended learning content and process, and (b) how blended learning is effective in developing teachers' performance. The study sample included 35 EFL Saudi teachers in Tabuk City, KSA. In order to collect the data required, the researchers developed a questionnaire that consisted of two sections, namely, process and content. The results indicate that the teachers' views toward blended learning were generally positive and very promising in both sections. Moreover, it was interesting to see that EFL teachers were highly optimistic about how blended learning would help them in improving their performance and how it would motivate their students to learn English. Finally, there are no significant differences between teachers' responses to the content and process of blended learning, with regards to qualification, experience, and the amount of training done.
The Impact of Translators' Academic Experience on Their Translation Quality
Author: Varzande, Mohsen
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Translation,Educational Attainment,Educational Quality,Sampling,Work Experience,Academic Degrees,Statistical Inference,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Professional Personnel,Task Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Demography,Hypothesis Testing,Performance Based Assessment,Correlation

Translators differ from each other in many ways in terms of their knowledge and professional conditions that may directly influence their translation. The present study aimed at investigating the impact of translators' academic experience on their translation quality. Following a &quot;causal-comparative study&quot;, a sample of 100 male and female professional translators, working in official or non-official translation offices or as freelance translators, were selected using purposive sampling method. The participants were divided into two groups each containing 50 individuals with and without a degree in translation, respectively. The participants were asked to translate a paragraph including 232 words, from Orwell's &quot;1984&quot; novel, to assess their translation quality. To do this, Waddington's model D (2001) was used as the marking system. For data analysis, inferential statistical procedures including independent sample t-test was used in order to investigate the research hypothesis. Results showed that translators' academic experience in translation significantly affects their translation quality. The results also clearly depicted that the translation quality of translators with academic experience was significantly better than that of those without academic experience.