ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Motivation of L2 Learners: Does It Decrease with Age?
Author: Ghenghesh, Pauline
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Motivation,Second Language Learning,Age Differences,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Semi Structured Interviews,Questionnaires,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Attitude Change

This study investigated the motivation of a heterogeneous group of students studying English as a foreign language at the International School in Tripoli area. The aim of the study was to find out the extent to which various factors affect students' motivation and achievement in second/foreign language learning particularly as they enter the senior high school. The research also looked into the temporal dimension of L2 motivation to see if the students' motivation changes as they enter the senior high school. One hundred and forty four students from thirty five nationalities learning English and five teachers participated in the completion of the questionnaire surveys. Twenty students and three teachers took part in the semi-structured interviews. Data were drawn from students' examination results and a combined quantitative-qualitative approach in which student and teacher questionnaire surveys were followed by a round of student and teacher interviews. The results of the &quot;Student's Motivation Questionnaire&quot; show that L2 motivation in the sample decreases with age: The results of one-way analyses of variance across the five age groups investigated show that the older learners tend to score significantly lower on the motivational scales and the interviews data gives further support to this finding. There are a number of influential factors that affect learners' motivation: in particular the role of the teacher was seen fundamental in determining the attitude to the language and in supplying motivation. Other external factors include aspects related to the learning context.
The Application of Context Theory in English Teaching of Reading
Author: Zhu, Jiang
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Context Effect,Cultural Context,English (Second Language),Reading Comprehension,Reading Tests,Prediction,Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Logical Thinking

Context theory is a very important theory in English teaching, especially the teaching of reading. This paper first analyzes the theory of context, including the features of context and some principles in context theory. Then the paper discusses the application of context theory in English teaching of reading, including some problems met in reading comprehension test and some teaching methods related to context theory.
Impacting Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes toward Inclusion
Author: Taylor, Roben W.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Inclusion,Mainstreaming,Attitude Measures,Student Attitudes,Preservice Teachers,Student Surveys,Regular and Special Education Relationship,Disabilities,Pretests Posttests,Teaching Methods,Classroom Techniques,Student Needs,Educational Environment,Student Characteristics,Teacher Competencies

Despite federal mandates to educate students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, teachers continue to have mixed feelings about their own preparedness to educate students with disabilities in the general education setting. However, research has documented that teachers with more positive attitudes toward inclusion are more likely to adjust their instruction and curriculum to meet individual needs of students and have a more positive approach to inclusion. With inclusion becoming the norm in today's schools, teacher educators are now faced with the challenge of making significant changes to educational programs in preparing pre-service teachers to be ready to meet the needs of all students. These programmatic changes mirror the continuous melding transformations in progress now in traditional general education and special education programs. However, there is limited information about how these new teacher educator programs influence pre-service teachers' confidence or attitudes toward inclusive education as future teachers. To investigate this influence of teacher preparation programs on pre-service teachers' attitudes toward inclusion, a survey method was used to collect data from pre-service teachers in one teacher-preparation program. The responses from pre-service teachers were analyzed indicating that pre-service teachers from this particular teacher preparation program in which general education curricula were infused with special education curricula in special education survey courses had improved positive attitudes and confidence toward inclusion. The implications of this study for practice and future research are discussed.
The Predominance of Literacy Activities in Urban Early Childhood Education
Author: Liu, Daoying
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Urban Areas,African Americans,Toddlers,Likert Scales,Parents,Preschool Education,Child Care,Oral Reading,Parent Role,Libraries,Statistical Analysis,Family Characteristics,Emergent Literacy,Surveys

The purpose of this paper is to explore the predominance of literacy activities within the homes of African American toddlers in an urban setting in Mississippi. The data were collected through a Likert survey from parent participants in daycares, preschools, and churches, as well as institutions from five different parts of Jackson, MS. The results indicate that reading to/with toddlers is the most predominant literacy activity that parents conducted within the homes of African American toddlers. Taking toddlers to the library is the least of literacy activities parents conducted to enhance their children's literacy development. This study is able to help parents engage more in their children's literacy development at home and develop early childhood education programs for parents.
Cultural Differences on Chinese and English Idioms of Diet and the Translation
Author: Yang, Chunli
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Patterns,Chinese,English,Language Usage,Cultural Influences,Translation,Eating Habits,Food,Cultural Differences,Foreign Countries

Idioms is a special culture which is shaped in the daily lives of the local people, particularly the idioms of diet has a close relation with various elements, such as the eating custom, history, fairy tales, geographic situations. Also, different ways of translation on different diet idioms in English and Chinese will be analyzed in this article. As a result, it will be very important to know the great culture contents in the idioms of diet in order to do a better job in the research of cross-culture communication and the translation.
Theories Analyzing Communicative Approach in China's EFL Classes
Author: Xu, Yang
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Language Tests,Class Size,Communicative Competence (Languages)

Communicative Approach is applied widely in primary and middle schools, when various modern teaching methods pour in China's EFL classes. However, the development of this effective language teaching method cannot show its advantages in China during years' practice. This paper analyzed the constraining factors, such as teaching habits, examination system, teacher's educated level and class size.
Study on the Causes and Countermeasures of the Lexical Collocation Mistakes in College English
Author: Yan, Hansheng
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,College Instruction,College Second Language Programs,Communicative Competence (Languages),Error Correction,Error Patterns,Phrase Structure

The lexical collocation in English is an important content in the linguistics theory, and also a research topic which is more and more emphasized in English teaching practice of China. The collocation ability of English decides whether learners could masterly use real English in effective communication. In many years' English teaching practice, the author found that many college students often ignored the learning and study of the target language collocation, so they would make many collocation mistakes in English writing, dialog, and exams. The main representations and causes of these mistakes are analyzed in this article, and the main countermeasures of these mistakes would be proposed for teachers' teaching and students' learning.
Investigation of Burnout among Instructors Working at ESOGU Preparatory School
Author: Özkanal, Ümit
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Burnout,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Stress Variables,Teaching Conditions,Educational Attainment,Teacher Characteristics,Work Environment,College Faculty,Burnout,Measures (Individuals),Scoring,Correlation,Questionnaires,Emotional Response

Burnout is an issue to be taken seriously in the workplaces where human interaction is salient and very important. The aim of the research is to investigate burnout among the instructors working at ESOGU preparatory school and find out what factors affect their levels of burnout. 28 instructors working in this institution participated in the study. The results of the study showed that the only significant contributor of burnout among the instructors is their perceived level of stress at the workplace. Except for that one, demographic characteristics, educational background and other work-related factors proved to have low or no significant effect on instructors' burnout levels.
Using High Level Upperclass Undergraduates as TAs in Large Lower Division EFL Classes
Author: Shi, Yeli
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Advanced Students,Teaching Assistants,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Class Size,Selection,Training,Foreign Countries

The purpose of this paper is to offer a feasible way to show that the problem of large EFL courses for lower division can be solved by the use of high level upperclass undergraduates as teaching assistants in and out of class. The use of UTAs fragments the large class into seemingly small classes with view to stimulating interest and effective learning outcomes in large classes. The paper discusses how to apply UTAs in large EFL classes from the aspects of selecting, training, and using UTAs. It also makes an objective appraisal of the use of UTAs in a large class.
Strategies for Preventing and Resolving Temporary Fossilization in Second Language Acquisition
Author: Qian, Manqiu
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Interlanguage,Error Patterns,Student Attitudes,Language Attitudes

Based on the practice of college English teaching and learning in China, the paper reviews the phenomenon and causes of the temporary fossilization in second language acquisition and offers some corresponding strategies for preventing and surmounting the obstacles in the hope of promoting the reactivation of the next climax.
Teaching English Speaking and English Speaking Tests in the Thai Context: A Reflection from Thai Perspective
Author: Khamkhien, Attapol
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Speech Instruction,Speech Tests,Test Format,Testing Problems

To successfully assess how language learners enhance their performance and achieve language learning goals, the four macro skills of listening, speaking reading and writing are usually the most frequently assessed and focused areas. However, speaking, as a productive skill, seems intuitively the most important of all the four language skills because it can distinctly show the correctness and language errors that a language learner makes. Since English speaking tests, in general, aim to evaluate how the learners express their improvement and success in pronunciation and communication, several aspects, especially speaking test formats and pronunciation need to be considered. To enhance Thai learners' English performance and the quality of the speaking tests, this paper has three principal objectives. First, this paper presents English language teaching, as well as teaching English speaking in the Thai context. Then, it highlights the significance of the test format as it is the main tool and indicator for scoring performance and analytic rating methods. Lastly, the paper addresses major problems found in the speaking tests to elucidate certain facts about learners' speaking ability and English instruction in the Thai context. Some pedagogical implications of the study are discussed for learning and teaching speaking to second or foreign language learners.
An Experimental Study on the Effectiveness of Multimedia in College English Teaching
Author: Liu, Jing
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,College Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Multimedia Instruction,Measures (Individuals),Statistical Analysis

Based on empirical research and qualitative analysis, this paper aims to explore the effectiveness of multimedia assisted methods in college English teaching. It seems and has been proved by some studies that multimedia assisted methods can effectively promote students' English learning. But the results of this study do not positively contribute to the previous hypothesis. Is multimedia a definite facilitator in college English teaching? The paper is trying to draw attention and offer insights into this problem.
Cultural and Social Interpretation of Chinese Addressing Strategies
Author: Yin, Yahui
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Chinese,Cultural Influences,Social Influences,Sociolinguistics,Prosocial Behavior,Interpersonal Communication,Pragmatics

This paper examines the influence of Chinese cultural factors on the addressing terms, together with the history of their use, the social dynamics involved in their use. Through the examination of exact terms, the author demonstrates to the reader, the deeply rooted cultural factors behind it and different ways that these terms can be used, depending upon the different situations. This kind of cultural and social interpretation is supposed to help communicators better understand addressing terms in different situations.
ESP at the Tertiary Level: Current Situation, Application and Expectation
Author: Ibrahim, AbdulMahmoud Idrees
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English for Special Purposes,College Instruction,Educational History,English for Academic Purposes,Student Centered Learning,Instructional Design

English for Specific Purposes is an obligatory subject for the first two levels at the Sudanese Universities. It is taught as a university requirement. Accordingly, the students obsess on how to pass the examination, not to achieve any development in the language field. Even the teachers concentrate on the content rather than the skills, which the students ought to gain. This paper addresses the issue of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It defines ESP with brief glimpse of its history and it attempts to highlight the line of demarcation of ESP and AEP. Moreover, it will endeavor the objectives of core course of ESP at the tertiary level in Sudanese Universities. Furthermore, how we should mobilize all the efforts to overcome the difficulties to promote the students competency in English language in their very field of specialization. As technology has created change in all aspects of society, it is also changing our expectations of what students must learn in order to function effectively. We should exploit the modern technologies effectively to radically change from teacher-centered approach to student-centered approach in teaching ESP. Consequently, the availability of computer and its utilization in different fields of specialization will be very facilitative and motivating for at least the contemporary generation.
Practice Led Research: Creative Activity, Academic Debate, and Intellectual Rigour
Author: Arnold, Josie
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Doctoral Degrees,Creativity,Creative Teaching,Teaching Methods,Supervisors,Foreign Countries,Supervision,Role,Teacher Student Relationship

By focussing on PhD supervision as well as creativity, this paper explores how the artefact and exegesis PhD offers an opportunity to bring creative activity together with academic debate and intellectual rigour. In this context, the latter does not justify the former nor interpret it in an academic and theoretical way. Rather, acting together, the artefact and exegesis bridge the Cartesian binary, offer new models of knowledge to the academy, and enrich the artistic practices of the practitioners themselves. The creative practitioner thus brings to the academy new dimensions of what knowledge itself consists of and how this contributes to learning. Because this disputes the regular academic templates, it challenges the academy itself. The methodology I employ in this paper is one of narrativity that I call the &quot;subjective academic narrative&quot;, it practices the theory of academic knowledge as personal and draws together the Cartesian binary of the personal and the intellectual.
Construct Validity Examination of Critical Thinking Dispositions for Undergraduate Students in University Putra Malaysia
Author: Ghadi, Ibrahim
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Construct Validity,Critical Thinking,Personality Traits,Likert Scales,Personality Measures,Factor Analysis,Statistical Analysis,Reliability

This research aims to evaluate the psychology properties of the construct validity for the Critical Thinking Disposition (CTD) instrument. The CTD instrument consists of 39 Likert-type items measuring seven dispositions, namely analyticity, open-mind, truth-seeking, systematicity, self-confidence inquisitiveness and maturity. The study involves 433 undergraduate students in University Putra Malaysia. The findings showed that the CTD has satisfactory construct validity with seven factors extracted and confirmed by confirmatory factor analyses. Construct validity results are supported with the Cronbach's alpha values which indicates high validity and reliability for the instrument to measure critical thinking dispositions.
Adult Learning Development from the Prism of Homestay
Author: Cyprian, Onwubiko Emeka
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Adult Students,Adult Learning,Program Evaluation,Study Abroad,Interviews,Observation,Student Characteristics,Outcomes of Education,Qualitative Research,Questionnaires

This study seeks to understand how adult learning takes place in homestay programme at Kanchong Darat, Banting, and Selangor in Malaysia. The study seeks to provide an overview evaluation and some salient lessons that could be derived in providing quality homestay services to learners. More so, the study succinctly covers socio-cultural issues in the homestay environment, such as the general services, and policy governing the programme. Furthermore, the study looks at the qualification requirements for participation in the homestay programme. It also apprised readers on how adult learning has changed dramatically over the years through self-directed knowledge and skills acquisition in the homestay arrangement. In addition, the study brings to fore some issues and challenges that the operators and learners encounter in homestay programme in Malaysia. The study indicated that adult learners in homestay programme arrangement learn through their experiences, and are mostly self-directed in learning. Questionnaires, interview, and observation were used in the study.
Demonstrating Pre-Service Teacher Learning through Engagement in Global Field Experiences
Author: Francis, Raymond W.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Field Experience Programs,Study Abroad,Preservice Teacher Education,Pretests Posttests,Concept Mapping,Student Teaching,Student Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Experience,Instructional Effectiveness,Training Methods

Global opportunities for students to engage in teaching and learning have the potential to have a great impact on their professional knowledge base as a future teacher. However, little information is available about how global field experiences impact pre-service teachers' understanding due to substantial challenges in collecting and analyzing authentic student growth as a direct result of engaging in global field experiences. Due to the consistent growth demonstrated by all members of the study, and the key statistical significant differences between the pre-experience and post-experience groups, as well as within the pre-experience and post-experience groups, it is likely that the global field experience participated in by all pre-service teachers had a positive impact on students' growth and understanding of effective teaching. Of course additional study is needed. However, it appears that global field experiences have the potential to impact student growth and learning in an important manner.
Teachers' Discriminations in the Narratives of Primary School Students of Different Periods in Turkey: 1950s, 1970s and 1980s
Author: Saglam, Mehmet
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Teachers,Elementary School Students,Oral History,Personal Narratives,Interviews,Educational History,Social Influences,Social Discrimination,Gender Bias,Social Bias,Socioeconomic Status,Student Characteristics,Teacher Behavior,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes

This study zeros in on rendering the teachers' discriminations among their students in various aspects in the narratives of primary school students of 1950s, 1970s and 1980s' Turkey. Construction and reconstruction of personal and social stories of teachers and students is also a sort of education and educational research. The method of the research is oral history through the agency of which it was possible to disclose the narratives of primary school students about their teachers' discriminations that basically appear as male-female, poor-rich and hardworking-lazy. In doing so, twenty students from 1950s, fifty students from 1970s and thirty students from 1980s' Turkey have been reached and interviewed at different times since 2010. Apart from these hundred students, ten more interviews were carried out for testing. About thirty of the interviewees assert that their teachers had segregated them because of being rich or poor, hardworking or lazy and gender. There are also about ten other students who state that their teachers had discriminated them due to being children of civil servant, neighbor relations, children of working mothers, speaking Turkish properly and parents' political views. The narratives in the research denote that teachers' discriminations had kept going in the course of time despite the progress in the social, economic, political and educational conditions of country. While their narratives are originally presented in the text, the real names of the narrators are not used, instead they are renamed. These narratives are crucial to see the teachers' educational practices in the words of their students who reveal on what basics their teachers discriminated them or not. The study exposes that despite the fact that forty three students remark their teachers discrimination resulted from certain factors, fifty seven students do not recollect any discriminations and believe that their teachers behaved them equally. It displays that discrimination is remarkably faced due to the students' success, their social and economic conditions; gender and income rates. It also proves that the words of most of the students gainsay how their teachers had been fair to their students.