ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Student Attitudes towards Printed and Digital Dictionary Use: A Case of Middle School
Author: Maden, Asli
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Middle School Students,Student Attitudes,Dictionaries,Electronic Publishing,Foreign Countries,Gender Differences,Age Differences

The present study aimed to compare the attitudes of middle school students towards printed and digital dictionary use. The study was conducted with the survey model since it aimed to determine a present situation. The study population included the students attending a middle school in Giresun province urban center during the 2018-2019 academic year. The sample that represented the study population was randomly selected (n = 204) among the students attending a middle school in city center. The study data were collected with information form and attitude scales. The study findings demonstrated that the general attitudes of the students towards printed dictionary use (X=2.54/4.00) and digital dictionary use (X=2.76/4.00) were good. Furthermore, it was determined that gender did not have a significant effect on dictionary use attitude. The most important study findings included the improvement of student attitudes towards dictionary use with the increase in grade level, and the dictionary use attitudes of the students who started to use printed dictionaries during primary school or before were higher when compared to other students. However, the attitude towards digital dictionary use was observed as a developing attitude.
Learners&apos; Perceptions on Using Social Networking Sites to Reinforce Their Linguistic Performance
Author: Al Ghazali, Fawzi
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Social Networks,Personal Autonomy,Learning Motivation,Multiple Literacies,Pragmatics,Language Proficiency,Undergraduate Students,Information Sources,Socialization,Second Language Learning,Grammar,Social Media,Second Language Instruction,Computer Software,Technological Literacy,Foreign Countries,Engineering Education,Business Administration Education,Social Sciences,English (Second Language),Language of Instruction

The unprecedented progress in digital appliances nowadays resulted in increasing reliance on the use of technology, which facilitated construction of knowledge including the acquisition of languages (Thorne, 2010). Formal education has developed drastically and neither educators nor classroom input is perceived as the only source of information; unlimited resources exist for learners to construct knowledge (Benson, 2007). Online applications foster learners' autonomy and independence and encourage them to practise the target language in authentic situations using different tools like Social Networking Sites (SNSs). Recent studies signal how SNSs increase learners' motivation (Aydin, 2014), interaction and socialization (Ryberg &amp; Christiansen, 2008), and pragmatic and linguistic proficiency (Blake, 1998). The more language learners have opportunities to use them effectively; the greater improvement in their multiliteracy and digital skills is (Chartrand, 2012). This study aims at investigating the perceptions of undergraduate learners on SNSs and the extent to which they benefit from them to reinforce their linguistic performance. The data are collected from a survey questionnaire through closed-ended and open-ended items. The analysis shows the participants' perceptions that SNSs can help improve oral and communication skills, yet they could not get the much benefit from these platforms in improving writing techniques and knowledge of grammar. The data also signal the participants' concerns and limitations in using language-learning applications like Livemocha, iTalki, Lang-8, Hello-Hello, Duolingo, Palabea, and other relevant ones. They attributed this to lack of training on using these resources. This study provides implications of using these digital platforms.
Reiteration Relations in Arab ESL Student Writing: Effect of First Language Transfer
Author: Almuhaysh, Marwan A.
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Foreign Students,Arabs,English Language Learners,Writing (Composition),Transfer of Training,Grammar,Connected Discourse,Language Proficiency,Repetition

Cohesive devices have long been a challenging aspect for second language learners of English, especially for learners whose native language is linguistically distant from English such as Arabic. This study investigates the frequency of using lexical cohesion by Arab ESL undergraduate students studying at the intensive English course at Ohio University. T-test was used to measure the frequency of cohesive types students employed in their writings. Due to the existence of cohesive ties in Arabic that are similar to &quot;repetition&quot; in English, the study hypothesized that students with lower proficiency levels are more likely to overuse &quot;repetition&quot; cohesive ties compared to higher proficiency students who have a better awareness of the second language's linguistic features. However, results indicated otherwise. Repetition lexical ties were used more by the higher proficiency level students. This study findings contradict with other similar studies conducted on ESL students that stated lower proficiency students tend to rely on repetition to compensate for their lack of English vocabulary. The different educational systems and linguistic backgrounds of the participants can be the result of such different findings.
Improving EFL Learners&apos; Oral Production through Reasoning-Gap Tasks Enhanced with Critical Thinking Standards: Developing and Implementing a Critical TBLT Model, Pre-Task Plan, and Speaking Rubric
Author: Yaprak, Zeynep
Date: 2020-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Comparative Analysis,Task Analysis,Critical Thinking,Standards,Oral Language,Accuracy,Language Fluency,Language Usage,Speech Communication,Scoring Rubrics,Language Teachers,Language Proficiency,Cooperative Learning,Video Technology,Undergraduate Students,Housework,Divorce,Early Parenthood,Sex Fairness,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,Learning Experience,Teacher Education Programs,Vocabulary Skills

This study aims to design and implement a speaking task model following the principles of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and Critical Thinking (CT). The study mainly investigated to what extent the use of critical thinking standards had an impact on the students' oral performance with respect to the linguistic trilogy of fluency, accuracy, and complexity. Experimental research design was conducted to examine the differences in research foci between the non-treatment and treatment groups. Data were drawn from 16 students of the English Language Teaching department and collected through the designed task rubric, speech samples, and semi-structured interview protocols. The findings indicated that adherence to relevant intellectual standards in reasoning-gap tasks had a positive effect on the oral performance of the speakers of the target language. Additionally, concerning two linguistic dimensions of accuracy (p=0.00) and complexity (p=0.00), MANOVA results showed a statistically significant difference between two main research groups. Based on the semi-structured interview findings, all participants in the treatment group reported positive views regarding their learning experiences and oral performance supported with critically enhanced reasoning-gap tasks. This study proposes language teachers a synthesized TBLT model enhanced with critical thinking standards. With this task model, suggested pre-task plan, and speaking rubric, they can boost their students' intellectual agility and make them more intellectually and linguistically active in their oral performance.
Opinions of EFL Students Regarding Autonomous Learning in Language Teaching
Author: Mehdiyev, Esmira
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Student Attitudes,Independent Study,Personal Autonomy,Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Instructional Effectiveness,Language Proficiency,Friendship,Linguistic Input,Student Centered Learning,Speech Skills,Foreign Countries,Preservice Teachers,Technology Integration

The purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of the Sivas Cumhuriyet University students, majoring at English Language Teaching Department in the 2017-2018 academic year, about the autonomous learning process to acquire English speaking proficiency. This study, which aims to reveal the sources that affect the students' autonomous learning activities and speaking skills in English language learning, has been conducted with qualitative study methods and is in descriptive survey model. Interviewing method was chosen as the data collection tool of the study. A semi-structured interview form was prepared and conducted in order to reveal the students' opinions about the language learning process, the activities they do individually in order to improve their English speaking proficiency, the sources affecting their speaking skills, and their recommendations for students who want to improve their speaking skills. Qualitative data were analyzed by descriptive analysis, and the data obtained according to the framework formed were interpreted and supported by direct quotations when necessary. Studies on the effects of autonomous learning activities on development of English speaking competence report that auto autonomous learning activities are: making foreign friends, watching foreign movies and listening to foreign music, playing video games, attending drama courses and situations emerging out of individual and environmental circumstances.
Challenges in Acculturation among International Students from Asian Collectivist Cultures
Author: Ma, Kyunghee
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Acculturation,Foreign Students,Asians,Asian Culture,Collectivism,Mental Health,Coping,Stress Variables,Student Adjustment,Psychological Needs,Social Support Groups,Models,College Students

Many international students coming to a U.S. university, especially those coming from a collectivist culture such as Asia, experience acculturation stress due to encountering different cultural norms and values. Lack of available resources may limit their coping ability, and prolonged exposure to acculturation stress may result in a decline in mental health. Asian international students may be at greater risk of developing mental health complications due to additional stressors derived from their cultures such as family recognition through success, emphasis on emotional self-control, and stigma toward mental illness. In this context, accumulated and unresolved acculturation stress may increase psychological vulnerabilities. Despite its relevance, there is no conceptual framework examining acculturation experiences of this student population. This article aims to present a conceptual framework of the acculturation process of Asian international students. Such a framework is important because it not only provides a holistic understanding of the acculturation process for Asian international students, but also provides an avenue for a comprehensive empirical inquiry. Furthermore, research-based evidence will help inform a more effective and inclusive university policy addressing the various needs of international students in order to provide intervention when necessary.
Epistemological Beliefs of Preservice Teachers
Author: Baydar, Askin
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preservice Teachers,Student Attitudes,Beliefs,Epistemology,Preservice Teacher Education,Knowledge Level,Difficulty Level,Gender Differences,Departments,Mathematics,Sciences,Turkish,Social Studies

This study examined the epistemological beliefs of preservice teachers, from naïve to sophisticated, from five different departments of the faculty of education in a Turkish university. By using the adapted form of the Schommer Epistemological Questionnaire, social studies, science, Turkish, mathematics, and classroom preservice teachers were surveyed and their epistemological belief levels were determined in terms of department and gender variables. Epistemological beliefs were examined in three dimensions: beliefs that pertain to learning depending on effort, beliefs that pertain to learning depending on ability, and beliefs that pertain to there being only one unchanging truth. The analysis indicated that generally all in departments, preservice teachers have sophisticated beliefs regarding the first two dimensions of the questionnaire. For the third dimension, they seem be at medium level. The results show that for the second dimension females have more sophisticated beliefs than males. For the other two dimensions there was no significant difference between females and males. A significant difference was found only for the first dimension and only between mathematics and classroom preservice teachers.
Pupils&apos; Perception towards Gender Differentiation and Imbalance in Secondary Schools: Case Study
Author: Louiza, Belaid
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Gender Differences,Males,Secondary School Students,Academic Achievement,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Gender Bias,Language Teachers,Foreign Countries,Teacher Student Relationship,Student Interests,Learning Motivation,Educational Experience

Gender imbalance persists in developing countries in different fields. Education is one of the spaces in which gender imbalance continues to exist in Algeria, in terms of enrolment or achievement. This imbalance will unintentionally raise the issue of differentiation among genders at school. To this end, this research investigated the influence of gender differentiation on male pupils' success in secondary schools. The main objective was to examine to which extent gender bias could have an impact on learners' performance in foreign languages. As research instruments, a questionnaire and an observation were selected. Our sample is comprised of 131 pupils from Mosalaha and 80 pupils from Mohamed Boudhiaf Secondary Schools in the city of Tissemsilt- Algeria-. As for the observation, we have attended 10 English classes. The findings of this study revealed that differentiation exists in EFL classes and male pupils are threatened by the teachers' bias to females because of their number and interest in learning.
Students&apos; Perceptions of Two Spelling Techniques: Copy, Cover, and Compare and Flip Folder
Author: Althobaiti, Saad
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Spelling Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,High School Students,Instructional Improvement,Foreign Countries,Males,Adolescents,English (Second Language),Vocabulary Development,Repetition

This interpretivist research aimed at exploring students' opinions regarding two spelling instruction techniques, Copy, Cover, and Compare (CCC) and Flip Folder. Twenty high school students who previously received spelling instruction using one of these two techniques participated in semi-structured focus group interviews to give their opinions about each technique. They were divided into three groups for which three questions were asked to collect feedback about each technique. Student responses varied and included suggestions for improvements to these techniques: introducing a revision plan to memorize the learned words, creating word spelling lists, increasing the repetition of words, and taking a weekly test to assess their learning achievement.
The Influence of Technology on English Language and Literature
Author: Al-Sharqi, Laila
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Influence of Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Internet,Social Media,Computer Mediated Communication,English,Literature,Writing Skills,Literary Genres,Standard Spoken Usage

In the current global scenario, the Internet is increasingly becoming a central informational medium that is transforming the way we learn, teach, and communicate. Social media offers a public platform that allows an exchange of thoughts and ideas through posts, tweets, and comments, albeit with word or character count restrictions. Evidently, creativity cannot be curtailed through content length restrictions. The emergence of a new genre of short-stories called short-short stories and the birth of a new English dialect called Text-speak prove that every cloud indeed has a silver lining. The popularity of social media exchanges signify that technology users have accepted quick social media interactions as a new way of life and have also adjusted their writing to match the content restrictions. Educators and parents are concerned that the attitudes and habits of tech-savvy generation are muddying Standard English as Text-speak is infiltrating students assignments blurring the distinction between formal and informal writing. The phenomenal popularity of short stories that can fit in a tweet or text is an example of how adversity can be turned into an opportunity. Literary purists, however, are concerned that digital literature is shrinking and short-stories are severing their characteristic elements to comply with the restrictions. This paper delineates the impact of technology on daily English writing and literature.
The Level and Sources of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety among Saudi EFL University Students
Author: Alnahidh, Faye
Date: 2020-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Females,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Anxiety,Pronunciation,Grammar,Teacher Attitudes,Negative Attitudes,Oral Language,Vocabulary Skills,College Students,Language Teachers,Teacher Student Relationship,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Speech Communication

This study aims to investigate the level and the sources of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA). To achieve this aim, a mixed-method approach was used by implementing a questionnaire and interviews. Eighty-five female Saudi EFL university students completed the questionnaire. Six of the most highly anxious students were identified according to the questionnaire results and interviewed. The findings revealed that the participants experienced a moderate level of FLSA in their English class. In addition, there are several sources of FLSA, which can be listed in the following order: fear of making mistakes, forced participation, lack of vocabulary, lack of practice, lack of grammar. Participants also reported other sources of anxiety such as fear of making pronunciation mistakes, the negative attitude of teachers and the need to give oral presentations. Based on the results, the study reached a conclusion and constructed a set of recommendations.
Exploration and Practice of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awareness Embedded in Experimental Teaching of Economic Management Major Undergraduates: &quot;A Case Study from China&quot;
Author: Zuo, Yifan
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Entrepreneurship,Case Studies,Undergraduate Students,Teaching Methods,Innovation,Educational Change,Foreign Countries,Productivity,Economic Development,Talent Development,Educational Needs,Student Needs,Economics Education,Management Development,Majors (Students)

China has proposed a new strategy driven by innovation, placing scientific and technological innovation at the core of the country's overall development, and seeing it as a strategic support for improving social productivity and overall national strength. This puts forward new requirements for the construction of high-level universities and the cultivation of high-level talents. Undergraduates are currently the largest reserve talents in colleges and universities. To meet the needs of the new situation, it is the right time to train undergraduates who are innovative and entrepreneurial. Deepening the reform of innovation and entrepreneurship education in colleges and universities is a practical need for undergraduates to realize the Chinese dream. Facing the urgency of society's need for innovative and entrepreneurial talents, there is an urgent need to embed innovative and entrepreneurial elements in the undergraduate training process. This requires further deepening reforms in the content, form and structure of education to meet the needs of undergraduates for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Investigation of Academic Staff&apos;s Self-Efficacy Using the Educational Internet
Author: Gültekin, Okan
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Internet,Online Courses,Distance Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Self Efficacy,College Faculty,Gender Differences,Age Differences,Educational Attainment,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Foreign Countries,Doctoral Degrees,Teaching Experience

The Covid-19 pandemic has had negative effects throughout the whole world, including education systems. To overcome this negativity, all educational institutions have turned to internet-based education. However, the educator's self-efficacy is of more importance in this system. This study aimed to reveal the connection between the University academic staff's genders, ages, titles (doctorate/non-doctorate), and work year characteristics and their self-efficacy beliefs about their educational Internet usage. The sample consists of 100 [51% (n = 51) female and 49% (n = 49) male] academic staff, who were selected according to convenience sampling in the Faculty of Education and Faculty of Sport Sciences at Uludag University. In this study, the &quot;Educational Internet Usage Self-Efficacy Beliefs&quot; scale, developed by Sahin (2009), was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics refer to number and percentage for qualitative variables; quantitative variables are summarized using mean, median, standard deviation, and minimum and maximum statistics. Univariate analyses used binary group comparisons with the Student's t-test and relationships between numerical variables and Spearman correlation coefficients. Multiple regression analysis was used, in conjunction with the backward method, for the multivariate linear regression method. Analysis results alpha (Type I error) value was evaluated at the level of 0.05 significance. The mean level of self-efficacy belief of academic staff is 109,42. Since the highest score that can be obtained from the scale is 140, the relationships between scale score and age and duration of service variables are significant according to the univariate analysis, while differences in gender and PhD and non-PhD groups are not significant. When multiple linear regression analysis is applied with the backward stepwise method, age and academic title variables are significant in the model. Additionally, the mean scale scores of PhD academicians are higher than others.