ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Investigating Learning English Strategies and English Needs of Undergraduate Students at the National University of Laos
Author: Souriyavongsa, Thongma
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Learning Strategies,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Student Needs,Questionnaires,Rating Scales,Vocabulary Development,Oral Language,Dictionaries,Electronic Publishing,Statistical Analysis,Measures (Individuals),Statistical Distributions

This paper aims to investigate learning English strategies and the requirement of English needs of the undergraduate students at the National University of Laos (NUOL). The study employed a survey design which involved in administering questionnaires of rating scales, and adapting the items from (Barakat, 2010; Chengbin, 2008; Kathleen A, 2010; Patama, 2001; Richards, 2001), to measure learning English strategies and the needs of English skills from 160 Lao undergraduate students of NUOL. The findings of this study revealed that speaking skill was the most important skills that students needed to improve in their undergraduate program. All participants reported a medium frequency use of strategy on learning English. The most frequently used strategies involved in using vocabulary books and electronic dictionaries to remember new English words. Based on the research findings, the researchers provided some recommendations for course developers to be reconsidered and redesigned the curriculum and syllabus including the instructional materials, learning behaviours and learning strategies of the English courses in all faculties in order to enhance the quality of learning and teaching activities as well as to meet the learners' needs and social demands for their prospective careers and country's development.
The Potential Social, Economic and Environmental Benefits of MOOCS: Operational and Historical Comparisons with a Massive &quot;Closed Online&quot; Course
Author: Lane, Andy
Date: 2014-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Online Courses,Higher Education,Comparative Analysis,Open Universities,Access to Education,Conservation (Environment),Educational Objectives,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) have recently become a much discussed development within higher education. Much of this debate focuses on the philosophical and operational similarities and differences between the types of MOOCs that have emerged to date, the learner completion rates and how they can be sustained. In contrast there has been much less discussion about how such courses do, or do not, fit in with existing higher education policy and practice in terms of the social, economic and environmental benefits. This paper begins to address this issue by comparing and contrasting current MOOCs with one large population ICT-enhanced, mostly online Open University UK course presented a decade earlier and how they have both served, or might serve, broader social, economic or environmental objectives. The paper concludes that while MOOCs are forcing a re-conceptualisation of higher education study, much can also be learned from previous and existing large population mainly online courses from open universities. [This paper was presented at the 2014 OpenCourseWare Consortium Global Conference, held in Ljubljana (Slovenia) in April 2014.]
The Mnemonic Keyword Method: Effects on the Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention
Author: Siriganjanavong, Vanlee
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),College Freshmen,Remedial Instruction,Learning Strategies,Mnemonics,Instructional Effectiveness,Retention (Psychology),Long Term Memory,Short Term Memory,Language Tests,Cues,Scores,Word Recognition,Vocabulary Development,Pretests Posttests

The objectives of the study were to introduce the technique called &quot;Mnemonic Keyword Method&quot; (&quot;MKM&quot;) to low proficiency English learners, and to explore the effectiveness of the method in terms of short-term and long-term retention. The sample was purposefully drawn from one intact class consisting of 44 students. They were first-year university students studying a non-credit English remedial course. The materials used in the study consisted of 40 target words, with half of them taught using MKM and the other half with mixed methods, namely contextual clues, word structure analysis, and opposite word-pairs. Students' retention was measured by using a 40-item-vocabulary test and two cued-recall sheets. The results from the vocabulary test and the cued-recall sheets showed that compared to those mixed methods, words taught by MKM could be better recalled both in short-term and long-term memory.
L1 Influence on the Use of English Deictic Motion Verbs for Chinese EFL Learners and French EFL Learners
Author: Ziyan, Xu
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Verbs,Language Processing,Motion,Chinese,French,Influences

Based on Sloin's (1996b) thinking for speaking approach, the study examines L1 influence on the use of English deictic Motion verbs for Chinese EFL learners and French EFL learners. The aim is to find out whether language learners will be influenced by the particular Thinking for Speaking acquired in L1 in the process of L2 acquisition. It is revealed that there is an overuse of English deictic Motion verbs among French EFL learners due to boundary crossing constraint in French, which results from L1 transfer. On the other hand, Chinese EFL learners benefit from positive transfer due to the similarity between L1 and L2 and their overuse of English deictic Motion verbs results from simplification. Whereas L1 influence exists among Chinese EFL learners in the use of go rather than the more target like &quot;come&quot;.
An Action Research Report on Applying Co-Operative Learning Techniques in an Intensive English Reading Class in China
Author: Fu, Xiao
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Cooperative Learning,Learning Strategies,Reading Skills,Action Research,Outcomes of Education,Psychological Patterns,Attitude Change,Program Implementation,Diaries,Questionnaires,Interviews,Data Collection,Student Behavior,Student Improvement,College Students,Computer Science Education,Majors (Students),Linguistic Competence,Educational Benefits,Anxiety,Individual Differences,Observation

This study is to examine whether the implementation of CL in an intensive reading class has a positive effect on improving the passive situation of students, whether it helps activate their enthusiasm for and ease their anxiety of participation in language class activities, and whether it is helpful to their improvement of English proficiency. The research questions to be addressed in the study are: 1) what, if any, psychological changes appear to happen to students in a co-operative learning situation? 2) In what ways do students behave differently in a co-operative learning classroom? 3) What difficulties might teachers have in implementing co-operative learning and how can they be overcome? To answer these questions I conducted a 16-week action research project in one of my classes. The whole process of the research was divided into three stages with cycles of planning, implementing and reflecting on progress. Classroom observation, teacher's diary, questionnaire and informal interview were used as instruments to collect data for reflection throughout the research. The final results show that, CL does have some positive effects on improving the present passive situation in my English classroom. However, there are some problems arising from the action research.
Error Analysis of Present Simple Tense in the Interlanguage of Adult Arab English Language Learners
Author: Muftah, Muneera
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interlanguage,Interference (Language),Morphemes,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Error Analysis (Language),Grammar,Arabs,English (Second Language),Task Analysis,Teaching Methods,Phonology,Morphology (Languages),Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries

The present study analyses errors on present simple tense among adult Arab English language learners. It focuses on the error on 3sg &quot;-s&quot; (the third person singular present tense agreement morpheme &quot;-s&quot;). The learners are undergraduate adult Arabic speakers learning English as a foreign language. The study gathered data from two types of instruments: a grammaticality judgment task (GJT comprising both grammatical and ungrammatical items and an elicited written production task (EWPT). Both tasks were designed to test the learners' underlying knowledge of present simple tense morphology in the Interlanguage (ILG) of adult Arab English language learners. The GJT comprised 12 grammatically/correctly inflected items, 6 omission items (OI) and 6 wrongly/incorrectly inflected items (WI). The findings suggest that adult Arab English language learners seem to have difficulty mastering the use of the 3sg &quot;-s&quot; due to first language (L1) interference. The findings of this study have pedagogical implications for English as a foreign language classroom teaching practice as well as for second language teachers and researchers. The most frequent error types produced by the Learners are omission, phonological similarity, incorrect suffixation and substitution.
The Effect of Textual Metafunction on the Iranian EFL Learners' Writing Performance
Author: Paziraie, Mandana Eftekhar
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Writing Skills,Adults,Females,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Pretests Posttests,Writing Tests,Writing Assignments,Essays,Instructional Effectiveness,Grammar,Teaching Methods,Adult Learning,Rating Scales,Pamphlets,Writing Instruction,Statistical Analysis,Hypothesis Testing,Scores

This study is devoted to the effect of &quot;textual metafunction&quot; on the levels of coherence and cohesion in the Iranian EFL learners' English writing performance. Sixty Iranian intermediate EFL learners who were adult females participated in this study were randomly divided into two groups; experimental, and control. They were given a writing pre-test. Then both groups' subjects attended an essay writing class, two sessions per week, for a ten-week term; however, while the experimental group was taught how to write a standard three-paragraph essay in English, and apply the textual metafunction in it, the control group was only taught how to write a standard three-paragraph essay. After the completion of the instructional period, both groups were given a writing post-test in which they were asked to write a standard three-paragraph essay on a subject. The analytic scoring scale of &quot;Hungarian School-Leaving English Examination Reform&quot; (2001, as cited in Tankó, 2001) was employed by three independent raters for rating the writing samples. A &quot;t-test&quot; on the mean scores of both groups indicated a significant difference between the scores of the post-tests, meaning that the textual metafunction was significantly effective in the experimental group's writing task. Moreover, while the mean scores of the control group's pre-post tests were the same, the mean score of the experimental group's post-test was higher than that of the pre-test, meaning that textual metafunction increased the levels of cohesion and coherence in their writing task.
Direct versus Indirect Explicit Methods of Enhancing EFL Students' English Grammatical Competence: A Concept Checking-Based Consciousness-Raising Tasks Model
Author: Dang, Trang Thi Doan
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Grammar,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Correlation,Oral Language,Language Proficiency,Questionnaires,Morphemes,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Writing Tests,Language Tests,Receptive Language,English (Second Language),Expressive Language,High School Students,Foreign Countries,Metalinguistics,Consciousness Raising,Pretests Posttests

Two approaches to grammar instruction are often discussed in the ESL literature: direct explicit grammar instruction (DEGI) (deduction) and indirect explicit grammar instruction (IEGI) (induction). This study aims to explore the effects of indirect explicit grammar instruction on EFL learners' mastery of English tenses. Ninety-four eleventh-graders were conveniently selected and randomly assigned into either the experimental group (EG) or the control group (CG). A pre-post tests design was used to collect the data. Before and after the treatment, the following tests were administered: rule analysis, grammar, and speaking. A delayed written test was given to both groups to assess students' retention of structure acquired; in addition, a questionnaire was provided to the EG to investigate their perception on the treatment. The results indicated that the EG significantly outperformed the CG in the analysis of grammar rules and the oral proficiency, except for the use of grammar structures in a pre-defined context. Convincingly, there was a positive correlation between the grammar rules and their subsequent use. This validates the cause and effect of grammar rules' acquisition and the use of them in receptive and productive stages. Also, the EG had favorable attitudes towards the instruction. This study may provide practical implications and techniques for improving EFL students' grammar performance in high schools in Vietnam.
Thai EFL Students' Writing Errors in Different Text Types: The Interference of the First Language
Author: Watcharapunyawong, Somchai
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Interference (Language),Native Language,Sentence Structure,Grammar,Morphemes,Error Patterns,Verbs,Writing (Composition),Error Analysis (Language),Form Classes (Languages),Accuracy,Writing Instruction,Language Teachers,Thai,Foreign Countries,Medical Students,Translation

This study aimed at analyzing writing errors caused by the interference of the Thai language, regarded as the first language (L1), in three writing genres, namely narration, description, and comparison/contrast. 120 English paragraphs written by 40 second year English major students were analyzed by using Error Analysis (EA).The results revealed that the first language interference errors fell into 16 categories: &quot;verb tense, word choice, sentence structure, article, preposition, modal/auxiliary, singular/plural form, fragment, verb form, pronoun, run-on sentence, infinitive/gerund, transition, subject-verb agreement, parallel structure, and comparison structure&quot;, respectively, and the number of frequent errors made in each type of written tasks was apparently different. In narration, the five most frequent errors found were verb tense, word choice, sentence structure, preposition, and modal/auxiliary, respectively, while the five most frequent errors in description and comparison/contrast were article, sentence structure, word choice, singular/plural form, and subject-verb agreement, respectively. Interestingly, in the narrative and descriptive paragraphs, comparison structure was found to be the least frequent error, whereas it became the 10th frequent error in comparison/contrast writing. It was apparent that a genre did affect writing errors as different text types required different structural features. It could be concluded that to enhance students' grammatical and lexical accuracy, a second language (L2) writing teacher should take into consideration L1 interference categories in different genres.
The Impact of Textual Input Enhancement and Explicit Rule Presentation on Iranian Elementary EFL Learners' Intake of Simple Past Tense
Author: Nahavandi, Naemeh
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Linguistic Input,Morphemes,Verbs,Grammar,College Students,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Second Language Instruction,Multiple Choice Tests,Pretests Posttests,Measures (Individuals),Demography,Gender Differences,Statistical Analysis

The present study investigated the impact of textual input enhancement and explicit rule presentation on 93 Iranian EFL learners' intake of simple past tense. Three intact general English classes in Tabriz Azad University were randomly assigned to: 1) a control group; 2) a TIE group; and 3) a TIE plus explicit rule presentation group. All participants were given 3 reading texts and comprehension questions to complete. For participants in groups 2 and 3 the input was textually enhanced through bolding. Participants in group 3 in addition had explicit rule presentation of simple past tense. Intake of simple past tense was measured through performance on a Multiple-Choice Recognition Tests. The results showed that there was a significant difference among pretest, first posttest and delayed posttest. Posttest 1 was significantly higher than posttest 2. Furthermore, TE+ rule presentation group significantly outperformed the control group in both posttest1 and posttest 2. The study concluded with some pedagogical implications.
An Investigation into the Consequential Validity of a Diagnostic College English Speaking Test
Author: Zhao, Zhongbao
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Diagnostic Tests,Language Tests,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,College Students,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Language Proficiency,Validity,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Case Studies,Measures (Individuals),Pretests Posttests

This paper reports the verification of the consequential validity of a Diagnostic College English Speaking Test. A case study was conducted with 28 sophomore students from a national key university in China engaged in seven sets of DCEST tests. The analysis of the DCEST scores of the students in the experiment group indicates that progress has been made in their oral English proficiency over the two-month period. The survey data analysis reveals that the provision of diagnostic feedback is welcomed by a great majority of students, and they think that the diagnostic feedback of the DCEST can reflect the strengths and weaknesses of their oral English ability. Results of both quantitative and qualitative data analyses provide supportive evidence to the consequential validity of DCEST. The limitations and future research directions are finally discussed.
Enhancing the English-Language Oral Skills of International Students through Drama
Author: Gill, Chamkaur
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Non English Speaking,Drama,Oral Language,Foreign Students,College Students,Likert Scales,Observation,Statistical Analysis

Ten non-English-speaking-background students of Bond University were observed to identify the effects of drama on oral English. Over a period of twelve weeks (two hours per week), elements of their oral English communication were measured. The weeks were divided into four lots of three weeks each, with the first three weeks made up entirely of communicative non-drama-based (CNDB) lessons, weeks four to six comprising only communicative drama-based (CDB) methodology, weeks seven to nine reverting to CNDB methodology, and the final three weeks being made up of CDB strategies again. The hypothesis of this study was that all the participants would show improvement once CDB methodology was introduced and that, by the end of Week 12, their mean-scores would be higher than when they were first observed. The first part of the hypothesis was disproved for a majority of the participants, while the second part revealed positive findings for all ten.
The Theory and Practice of the Six-Step Method in EFL and Its Transferability to Engineering Programmes
Author: Ntombela, Berrington X. S.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Engineering Education,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Skill Development,Debate,Language Skills,Second Language Instruction,Theory Practice Relationship,Writing Instruction,Academic Discourse,Reading Instruction,Transfer of Training,College Students

This paper outlines the theory of the six-step method developed by personnel in the Language and Learning department at Caledonian College of Engineering, Oman. The paper further illustrates the application of this method in teaching Project, Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking &amp; Debate at Foundation level. The assumption in applying the six-step method at Foundation level is that, after repeated exposure, learners should be able to apply it in their engineering studies. The paper therefore discusses the transferability of this method both as a teaching and as a learning approach. Findings indicate that the six-step method in EFL context expects more from learners whose linguistic level is lower than it should be due to insufficient exposure to the target language. That is, the method works much better on the application level, where learners are expected to work independently (with the teacher taking a &quot;backseat&quot;) to accomplish a given task. Notwithstanding, the method encourages and fosters independent learning and the acquisition of soft skills. Furthermore, findings reveal that the transferability of the method to engineering programmes as a learning approach leans heavily on its application as a teaching approach.
EFL Students' Reflections on Peer Scaffolding in Making a Collaborative Oral Presentation
Author: Nguyen, Minh Hue
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Student Attitudes,English (Second Language),Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Peer Relationship,Cooperative Learning,Group Activities,Peer Teaching,Feedback (Response),Teamwork,Qualitative Research,Semi Structured Interviews

Informed by sociocultural theory and previous research on peer scaffolding in second language (L2) learning, which largely focuses on collaborative writing in English as a second language (ESL) contexts, this study investigates the ways in which Vietnamese English as a foreign language (EFL) students provide peer scaffolding to each other during a collaborative presentation task and how they benefit from this experience. Data were collected from 12 participants through reflective reports and interviews. Content analysis of data suggests six categories of peer scaffolding behaviours among the students, namely workload sharing, pooling ideas and resources, technology support, peer feedback, support in answering the audience's questions, and affective support and the benefits that the students gained from them. The findings demonstrate that collaborative pair work creates learning conditions where peers provide mutual help, which supports previous research findings. The identified peer scaffolding behaviours also show important features suggested in the literature. Although peer scaffolding has been largely studied in L2 writing, it remains a new area of research in L2 speaking discourse. This study extends the literature to this under-researched area and offers a number of pedagogical and theoretical implications based on the findings.