ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Relationship between Teachers' Job Satisfaction and Their Attitudes towards Students' Beliefs and Motivation
Author: Salehi, Hadi
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Job Satisfaction,Teacher Attitudes,English Teachers,Questionnaires,Mixed Methods Research,Interviews,Student Attitudes,Beliefs,Student Motivation,English (Second Language),Structural Equation Models,Goodness of Fit,Maximum Likelihood Statistics,Validity

Many studies have been done in the developed countries due to the importance of job satisfaction; however, only a limited number of studies have been conducted on teachers' job satisfaction in Iran. This study is an attempt to investigate the relationship between teachers' job satisfaction and their attitudes towards students' beliefs and motivation. To this end, both qualitative and quantitative research methods including interview protocols and questionnaire were utilized. To collect data, in the quantitative part of the study, a validated questionnaire was administered to sample of 340 among the English teachers, teaching in Iranian language institutes in Isfahan. After gathering the questionnaires, those teachers willing to be interviewed were selected for in-depth interview. Both quantitative and qualitative data were categorized, coded and analyzed based upon the main themes and the respective research questions. The results revealed that there are empirically positive significant relationships (t &gt; 2.56, P &lt; 0.001) between teachers' job satisfaction and their attitudes toward students' motivation and beliefs. Moreover, the interviews showed that teachers' level of job satisfaction was high, although they are not satisfied with financial matters. The finding can shed more light on the area of teachers' job satisfaction and related factors to have better understanding of the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. Furthermore, educational institutions through considering the results of the study can improve teachers' perceptions of their job and improve job environment to manage language learning institutes or schools better than before.
Robot vs. Human Teacher: Instruction in the Digital Age for ESL Learners
Author: Kwok, Virginia H. Y.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Technology Uses in Education,Technology Integration,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Secondary School Students,Questionnaires,Conventional Instruction,Robotics,Preferences,Student Motivation,Learner Engagement,Student Attitudes,English Instruction,Foreign Countries

Living in the twenty-first century, life unplugged seems impossible without the Internet, mobile phones, i-products or other types of electronic gadgets for long. While language educators are overwhelmingly occupied with investigating the impact of computers and mobile learning, here is a call to address the value of face-to-face instruction in second language education. The key function of second language learning is to interact with one another in the target language. Younger generations are, however, becoming indulged in and even addicted to the technological tools without significant improvement in language competency and communication skills when compared with predecessors who have less accessibility of such tools that are so prevalent nowadays. The current empirical study explores the possibility of &quot;avatar teacher&quot;, alternatives to over-reliance on online tools, electronic gadgets and robot teachers, and limitations of technology on ESL education. Recommendations of innovative ways to engage learners with controlled amount of technology are made to language education professionals.
The Development of Interview Techniques in Language Studies: Facilitating the Researchers' Views on Interactive Encounters
Author: Jong, Young Ok
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research Methodology,Language Research,Interviews,Qualitative Research,Researchers,Power Structure,Interpersonal Relationship,Time Management,Data Collection,Data Analysis,Confidentiality,Language Teachers,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Focus Groups

In a more complex and dynamic world, it is important to have knowledge of research methods in order to understand our internal and external environments. This paper aims to outline different ways of approaching research into language studies and mainly provides an introduction to one of them, the interview. As interviewing is one of the main data collection methods in qualitative research as well as one of the most powerful ways to understand other people, we explore its salient features and some issues surrounding its application. This paper begins by sketching out different research approaches and then describing the nature of the interview, its typology and types in terms of the degree of structure. Subsequent parts consider ethical and practical considerations in interpersonal interviews. The final section includes our reflections on actual interviews and touches on two additional interests.
Professional Development of English Professors in Indian Engineering Colleges: The Need of the Hour
Author: Clement, A.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Engineering Education,Colleges,College Faculty,Faculty Development,English Teachers,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis

English has become the language of international business and in this age of globalization, communication skills in the English language are of supreme importance in the professional success of individuals. In India, the percentage of engineering graduates who remain unemployed after graduation steadily increases due to lack of soft skills including the ability to communicate in English. Hence, the major responsibility of enhancing the students' communication skills falls on the shoulders of the English professors. This article aims to find out whether English professors in engineering colleges in Chennai, India are equipped to train engineering students to communicate efficiently by using modern methods of teaching. It has been discovered that many English professors are not aware of the modern teaching methodologies like CLT and haven't heard of English for Specific Purposes. Moreover, many teachers have not attended any pre-service or in-service training programs and there is a huge gap between classroom teaching practices and industry expectations. The survey results have revealed the lack of skills among the professors and the need for professional development programs to improve the efficiency of English teaching.
Efficacy of Task-Based Learning in a Chinese EFL Classroom: A Case Study
Author: Tang, Hersong
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,College Students,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Task Analysis,Instructional Effectiveness,Verbal Ability,Pretests Posttests,Language Proficiency,Questionnaires,Vocabulary Development,Pronunciation,Student Motivation,Receptive Language,Expressive Language,Language Fluency

This study investigated how task-based learning (TBL) developed the verbal competence of Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) by employing qualitative and quantitative analyses. We compared the impromptu oral presentations on reading texts of 76 intermediate EFL learners given respectively in the beginning and the end of the 15-week study period at a Taiwanese university. The findings revealed that TBL was effective in fluency, lexical and syntactic complexity, and ineffective in accuracy. Besides, a standardized pretest and a post-test of English proficiency were administered, apart from a students' self-report questionnaire at the end of the experiment. The results of the proficiency exams showed that students made significant improvements in reading and little improvement in listening after TBL. In the self-assessment of the effects of TBL, students felt improvements in vocabulary and pronunciation. Overall, TBL was motivational and useful for language acquisition. Learners' attention was directed to a reading text as a whole for communicative purposes, and therefore their receptive and productive competence was enhanced.
Syntactic Proficiency of Kuwaiti EFL Learners: A Study of Tag Questions
Author: Alotaibi, Abdullah M.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Questioning Techniques,Language Proficiency,Multiple Choice Tests,Syntax,Statistical Analysis,Hypothesis Testing

This study examines the extent to which 70 Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of the formation rules of tag questions in English. It also investigates whether the English proficiency level of the participants contributes to their correct answers on the test. For this purpose, the researchers used a multiple-choice test to measure the participants' awareness of the correct form of tag questions. The results show that Kuwaiti EFL learners are not aware of the syntax of tag questions in English (total mean = 47%). The results also reveal that the English proficiency level of the participants plays an important role in their correct answers on the test; there are statistically significant differences between the results of the Advanced Learners (ALs) and the Intermediate Learners (ILs). The researchers note that the participants encounter difficulties with certain types of tag questions, especially irregular canonical tag questions. The difficulties are ascribed to many reasons such as over generalization of the formation rule, partial application of the formation rule, lack of subject-agreement, wrong verb form and misconception of the polarity rule. Essentially, the non-existence of tag questions in the participants' first language i.e. Arabic may be the most prominent reason for the participants' inability to provide accurate answers on the test. The study concludes with some pedagogical implications that may assist teachers of English as a second/foreign language to highlight the correct use of tag questions in English in the classroom.
Teachers' Voice: A Needs Analysis of Teachers' Needs for Professional Development with the Emergence of the Current English Textbooks
Author: AL-Qahtani, Hind M.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Teachers,Faculty Development,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Questionnaires,Semi Structured Interviews,Teacher Attitudes,Academic Achievement,Foreign Countries,Textbooks,Qualitative Research

The study attempts to reveal the attitudes' of the English teachers toward teachers' professional development, to identify the needs of English teachers for Teachers' professional development, to clarify the challenges that faced by English teachers throughout their teachers' professional development. The study uses a descriptive methods to describe and analyse the needs of English teachers for TPD. In the present study, the sample population consists of 40 EFL teachers chosen randomly, both female and male English teachers working in AL-Quwayiyah town in Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2014-2015. In order to achieve the goals of the study, two main data collection instruments are used: (1) a questionnaire and (2) semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire is consisted of three dimensions each demission has 17 multiples statements while interviews are conducted with eight English teachers both male and female English teachers in order to identify the quality of TPD they attended, their satisfaction toward the teachers' professional development, their expectations as well as their suggestions for better teachers' professional development. The findings of the study clarifies that TPD is essential and effective with the emergency of the current English textbooks. TPD increases teachers learning, achievement and improves teaching quality. As a result, teachers' professional development results in improving students' success and achievement.
Impact of Consciousness-Raising Activities on Young English Language Learners' Grammar Performance
Author: Fatemipour, Hamidreza
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grammar,Consciousness Raising,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Adolescents,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Comparative Analysis,Foreign Countries,Pretests Posttests,Questionnaires,Quasiexperimental Design,Knowledge Level,Qualitative Research

Grammar Consciousness-Raising (GCR) is an approach to teaching of grammar which learners instead of being taught the given rules, experience language data. The data challenge them to rethink, restructure their existing mental grammar and construct an explicit rule to describe the grammatical feature which the data illustrate (Ellis, 2002). And also GCR approach encourages learners to pay attention to language form (Richards &amp; Smidth, 2002). The present study aimed to consider the effectiveness of grammar consciousness-raising activities on the development of young EFL learners' grammar performance and also to study the appropriateness of consciousness-raising for young learners. The participants were 60 young Iranian male and female pre-intermediate students with the age range of 11 to 16. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. The Experimental group was exposed to grammar consciousness-raising activities based on three techniques of Recall, Reconstruction, and Bolding-Underlying while the control group was trained by deductive grammar teaching. A grammar test was administered to the participants before and after the treatment as pretest and posttest. And also by applying a questionnaire to the experimental group, the learners showed their attitude toward consciousness-raising. The results revealed that grammar consciousness-raising activities have a significant effect on the development of young learners' grammar performance and consciousness-raising is suitable for young learners.
The Effect of Translators' Emotional Intelligence on Their Translation Quality
Author: Varzande, Mohsen
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Translation,Emotional Intelligence,Comparative Analysis,Professional Personnel,Questionnaires,Correlation,Statistical Analysis,Scores,Statistical Inference,Individual Characteristics

Translators differ from each other in many ways in terms of their knowledge, professional and psychological conditions that may directly influence their translation. The present study aimed at investigating the impact of translators' Emotional Intelligence 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. Petrides &amp; Furnham's (2001) Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire--(TEIQue-SF) was administered to collect data on the participants' emotional intelligence. The participants were then 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, correlation statistical procedure was used in order to investigate the research hypothesis. Results showed that translators' academic experience significantly affects their translation quality, while no significant relationship was found between their Emotional Intelligence and 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.
Exploring the Relationship between Receptive and Productive Vocabulary Sizes and Their Increased Use by Azerbaijani English Majors
Author: Hajiyeva, Konul
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Majors (Students),Vocabulary,Receptive Language,Language Usage,College Students,Second Language Instruction,Language Tests,Expressive Language

This article reports on the results of two studies on receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge of first-year English majors in an English-medium degree programme. The aim of the study is to answer these research questions: (1) to what extent do the receptive and productive vocabulary sizes of English majors increase after a year of instruction; (2) what is the ratio between the increases in receptive and productive knowledge; (3) do English majors achieve the expected threshold vocabulary size of 4.000-5.000 word families, after a year of instruction, that will enable them to follow lectures in English? In order to gauge students' receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge, participants in this study--159 first-year English majors--were given two vocabulary tests at the beginning of their first and second years of study: the Vocabulary Levels Test and the Productive Vocabulary Levels Test. The results indicate that: (1) learners' receptive vocabulary did not expand, whereas their productive vocabulary increased by 21 per cent; (2) their overall receptive vocabulary knowledge was larger than their productive knowledge and the gap between the two narrows after one year; (3) despite having received instruction, after a year, learners still lack the vocabulary threshold to meet their academic needs. Based on these results, the study reflects on the relationship between the content of the teaching materials used in class and the students' vocabulary knowledge. Recommendations aimed at informing teachers about the appropriate steps to take to approach language proficiency teaching are also discussed.
An Analysis of the Application of Wikipedia Corpus on the Lexical Learning in the Second Language Acquisition
Author: Shi, Jing
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Encyclopedias,Collaborative Writing,Electronic Publishing,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Lexicology,Linguistics,Online Searching,Search Strategies,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Majors (Students),College Students,Foreign Countries,Reading Comprehension,Pretests Posttests,Scores,Second Language Instruction,Statistical Significance,Teaching Methods

Corpus linguistics has transformed linguistic research but has a slightly moderate impact on the ESL teaching and learning. The Wikipedia Corpus, designed by Mark Davis is introduced in this essay. The corpus allows teachers to search Wikipedia in a powerful way: they can search by word, phrase, part of speech, and synonyms. Teachers can also find collocates, and see re-sortable concordance lines for any word or phrase. The application of Wikipedia corpus is conducted in the experimental group whereas the conventional lexical teaching and learning mode with teacher imparting lexical information to students is carried out. The collected data is assessed and evaluated. The empirical evidence reveals the beneficial effects of corpus linguistics on ESL teaching and learning.
The Processing on Different Types of English Formulaic Sequences
Author: Qian, Li
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Phrase Structure,Language Patterns,Native Speakers,College Students,Foreign Countries,Grammar,Statistical Analysis,Language Processing,Error Analysis (Language),Error Patterns

Formulaic sequences are found to be processed faster than their matched novel phrases in previous studies. Given the variety of formulaic types, few studies have compared processing on different types of formulaic sequences. The present study explored the processing among idioms, speech formulae and written formulae. It has been found that in addition to the processing advantage of formulaic sequences as compared to the nonformulaic phrases, frequent written formulaic sequences were processed faster than the infrequent idioms. The results suggested that when processing advantage was concerned, both the holistic storage view and the frequency effect need to be considered.
A Reconceptualised Translation-Based Task as a Viable Teaching Tool in EFL Class to Avoid Calque Errors
Author: Mateo, Roberto Martínez
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Translation,Task Analysis,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Error Patterns,Metacognition,Teaching Methods,Negative Attitudes,Transfer of Training,Native Language,Interference (Language),Error Analysis (Language),Morphology (Languages),College Students,Foreign Countries

The negative attitude towards translation as another pedagogical means in Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) has prevailed for much time (Cook, 2010). Nonetheless, currently, many theorists and linguistics agree on the importance of using translation activities in foreign language teaching and underline its beneficial effects to expand vocabulary, to develop writing style and to further understand how languages in contact work (Schäffner, 1998). This paper presents the results of a pilot experience where a reconceptualised role of a translation-based task is implemented in the Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) class and explores the question of whether it can be used as a means to foster the cross-linguistic cognitive processing of languages involved so that this metacognition provided by the translation process will contribute to boost a student's watchfulness and so reduce calque errors when writing (translating) in L2 (English). Under the task-based language teaching methodology, an initiative has been put forward with a group of selected English as an L2 students pursuing a fourfold objective: i) firstly, to reintroduce translation-based tasks as a viable teaching tool in Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) class; ii) secondly, to examine the role of cross-linguistic interference in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and iii) to identify and tag a specific type of negative interference, namely calque errors, committed by students when translating into L2, and iv) lastly, to check whether this task triggers students' awareness of cross-linguistic differences and similarities and turn this realization into an opportunity to learn (positive interference) by avoiding committing calque errors again.