ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Developing Students' Intercultural Communication Competences in Western Etiquette Teaching
Author: Zhang, Xiaochi
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intercultural Communication,Communicative Competence (Languages),Ethical Instruction,Second Language Instruction,Western Civilization,Cross Cultural Training,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices,Relevance (Education),Educational Objectives,Cultural Literacy,Communication Skills,Cultural Awareness,Foreign Countries

How to develop students' intercultural communication competences is a controversial issue in foreign language education in China. In this article, the author attempts to offer an answer to this issue by putting forward a proposition for developing students' intercultural communication competences in western etiquette teaching. First of all, the paper discusses the importance of developing students' intercultural communication competences in western etiquette teaching. Then, the author dwells on the four dimensional approaches to developing students' intercultural communication competences, such as teaching students' basic knowledge of western etiquettes in class and providing more teaching practice opportunities as languages partners, tour guides, all kinds of activities and so on. In this way, we will reach our final goal of foreign language education so that our students will enhance their intercultural communication competences.
Scientific Structural Changes within Texts of Adapted Reading Materials
Author: Aziz, Anealka
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Materials,Material Development,Teacher Developed Materials,Reading Ability,Student Needs,Difficulty Level,Media Adaptation,Readability Formulas,Text Structure,Educational Change,Change Strategies,Readability,Educational Practices

ESL instructors generally use ready-made reading materials in commercially published coursebooks. However, it would be more effective for learners if ESL instructors are involved in developing reading materials for them. This is because they are closer, more sensitive and responsive to the needs of their learners and they are also aware of the reading ability of the learners. ESL instructors can adapt reading materials taken from non-instructional sources like magazines and newspapers and adapt them to suit the needs and reading ability of their learners. Adaptation enables ESL instructors to adjust the difficulty level of the materials. Adjustment can be made by making changes at sentence and word levels and this study intends to demonstrate the structural changes that take place when the materials are being adapted. This study uses the a tool named &quot;IDL Suite&quot; to measure the difficulty level of the materials before and after adaptation.
The Effect of Using the Story-Mapping Technique on Developing Tenth Grade Students' Short Story Writing Skills in EFL
Author: Ibnian, Salem Saleh Khalaf
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing Skills,English (Second Language),Grade 10,Story Grammar,Story Telling,Essays,Teaching Methods,Check Lists,Skill Analysis,Pretests Posttests,Writing Tests,Statistical Significance,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Quasiexperimental Design,Educational Practices,Writing Strategies,Writing Achievement,Foreign Countries

The current study aimed at investigating the effect of using the story-mapping technique on developing tenth grade students' short story writing skills in EFL. The study attempted to answer the following questions: (1) What are the short story writing skills needed for tenth grade students in EFL?; and (2) What is the effect of the using the story-mapping technique on developing tenth grade students' short story writing skills in EFL? Tools of the study included a checklist to identify the short story writing skills needed for tenth grade students in EFL as well as a pre-post short story writing test and its scoring scale. Results revealed the effect of using the story mapping technique on developing tenth grade students' short story writing skills.
An Evaluation of Jordanian EFL Teachers' In-Service Training Courses Teaching Techniques Effectiveness
Author: AL-Wreikat, Yazan Abdel Aziz Semreen
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Inservice Teacher Education,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Language Teachers,Teacher Role,Questionnaires,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Likert Scales

This study aims to evaluate and investigate the influence of teaching techniques on the performance of English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers by evaluating the techniques' effectiveness and actual implementation, as well as to examine the role of teachers in influencing the effectiveness of in-service training courses. A total of 798 questionnaires have been distributed to teacher-respondents. Qualitative and quantitative approaches have been adapted to aid in the evaluation. The findings of the study, taking into account the teaching techniques' effectiveness in the in-service training courses and their impact on EFL teachers' performance, have revealed that EFL teachers' in-service training courses did not emphasize good and effective teaching technique.
Incorporating Metacognitive Strategy Training in ESP Writing Instruction: English for Lawyers
Author: Rogers, Robert Johnson
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Metacognition,Writing Instruction,English for Special Purposes,Learning Strategies,Curriculum Implementation,Integrated Curriculum,Teaching Methods,Lawyers,Educational Practices,Literature Reviews

Despite the vast research on learning strategies and their application to receptive skills, relatively little has been written on the effect of learning strategies on productive skills, writing in particular, and even less has been written about the effect of metacognitive strategy training and how it might be implemented into the classroom. This paper sets out to review what little literature is available regarding the effect of metacognitive strategy training on writing instruction and set down a framework from which metacognitive strategy training can be implemented into ESP writing instruction, in this case into an English for Lawyers course.
Gender Effect on the Use of CSs
Author: Lai, Hongling
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Gender Differences,Communication Strategies,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis,Communication Skills,Undergraduate Students,Interviews,Language Proficiency,Qualitative Research

This paper explores the gender effect on the use of communication strategies (CSs). The study collected the data of 36 Chinese EFL learners when they fulfilled communicative tasks as the basis for analysis. The statistical results show that no sex-related significant, direct effect was identified on the frequency and types of CS use, but the sex variable affects the effectiveness of females' and males' use of CSs. Those findings bring some implications for foreign language teaching and learning.
Arab EFL Learners' Writing Dilemma at Tertiary Level
Author: Ezza, El-Sadig
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Teaching Methods,Content Analysis,Writing Instruction,Course Descriptions,Communicative Competence (Languages),College Second Language Programs

There is a general belief among researchers and speakers at conferences and symposia that Arab EFL Learners are primarily responsible for their weak writing performance. Educational policies usually evade criticism. This study is an attempt to show that educational policies can have their role in the learner's writing problems. Viz. it posits that for the most part writing problems can be caused by the employment of outdated approaches and resources. To this end, content analysis has been applied to existing writing courses in three Arab Universities. The examination of these courses has revealed that English Departments adopted approaches and materials characteristic of the 1940s and 1950s. Thus, unless the new the developments into the linguistic and writing theories and approaches are incorporated into the writing syllabus, Arab EFL learners will continue to experience writing problems.
Teachers' Perceptions of the Present and Optimum Status of the In-Service EFL Teacher Preparation Programs
Author: Birjandi, Parviz
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Teacher Attitudes,Inservice Teacher Education,Questionnaires,Language Teachers,Interviews,Educational Change,Teacher Motivation,Middle School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers

The present study sought the different perceptions of Iranian EFL instructors and teachers on the present and optimum status of in-service programs. A 26-item questionnaire completed by 90 participants, thirty of whom were instructors and the rest were teachers, revealed that instructors and teachers had different conceptions about these in-service programs. In the light of the results gained from questionnaire and interview, it is suggested that although most teachers were satisfied with these programs, they lacked adequate motivation to participate in these programs. Moreover, most instructors were not also satisfied with the present in-service programs, and they were looking for reforms in the educational plans and programs. The findings also suggest that, on the one hand, instructors should provide teachers with appropriate motives to enthusiastically take part in these classes, and they should feel responsible to address teachers' weaknesses and strengths both theoretically and practically. On the other hand, teachers should seize theses opportunities with both hands to ameliorate and refresh their English knowledge. Therefore, it is suggested instructors and teachers should reconcile as far as methodological and pedagogical implications are concerned.
The Influence of Schema and Cultural Difference on L1 and L2 Reading
Author: Yang, Shi-sheng
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cultural Differences,Second Language Learning,Native Speakers,Cognitive Processes,Reading Processes,Schemata (Cognition),Reading Strategies,Schematic Studies

Reading in L1 shares numerous basic elements with reading in L2, and the processes also differ greatly. Intriguing questions involve whether there are two parallel cognitive processes at work, or whether there are processing strategies that accommodate both L1 and L2. This paper examines how reading in L1 is different from and similar to reading in L2. More specifically, factors of cultural difference and schema will also be examined.
Metadiscourse: Definitions, Issues and Its Implications for English Teachers
Author: Amiryousefi, Mohammad
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Definitions,English Teachers,Performance Factors,Models,Communication Strategies,Classroom Communication,Reading Strategies,Writing Strategies,Teaching Methods,Educational Principles,Relevance (Education),Text Structure,Story Grammar,Educational Practices,Discourse Analysis,Discourse Modes

Metadiscourse is a new and interesting field of inquiry which is believed to play a vital role in organizing and producing persuasive writing, based on the norms and expectations of people involved. Metadiscourse embodies the idea that writing and speaking are more than just the communication of ideas and presentation of ideational meaning. Rather they are considered as social acts which involve writers, readers, speakers and listeners to interact with each other to affect the ways ideas are presented and understood. Metadiscourse is, therefore, believed to be an important feature of communication because we need to asses the readers' or listeners' resources for understanding the text and their likely responses to it in order to be able to write or to speak effectively. This article intends to study first, the definitions and issues of metadiscourse and then to introduce different metadiscourse signals and categorizations and examine the factors affecting their use, and finally to discuss metadiscourse in the classroom to demonstrate its values and implications for English teachers.
Culture Understanding in Foreign Language Teaching
Author: Qu, Yi
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cultural Awareness,Cultural Literacy,Second Language Instruction,Cultural Relevance,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices,Educational Objectives,Relevance (Education),Learning Activities

In the course of foreign language teaching, the priority should always be given to increase international understanding by enabling the students to enter into the life, thought, and literature of people who speak another language. The objective may vary from one period to another, but it should long be present in the thinking of our minds. The following words attempt to explore the importance of culture teaching and relevant activities so as to raise our awareness of the significance of culture understanding in our teaching.
Vocabulary Attrition among Adult English as a Foreign Language Persian Learners
Author: Asgari, Azadeh
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Vocabulary Development,Vocabulary Skills,College Students,Language Tests,Language Skill Attrition,Nouns,Language Proficiency,Predictor Variables,Comparative Analysis,Statistical Analysis

This study aims to investigate the attrition rate of EFL concrete and abstract vocabulary among continuing and non-continuing Iranian female and male English language learners across different proficiency levels. They are students of a University and majored in different fields (between 20 and 25 years old). There was no treatment in this study where the researcher compared two groups on the same variables. Hence, the design of the current study is an ex-post facto design. A 40-item vocabulary test which varied across two proficiency levels are used to measure rate of vocabulary attrition as the instrument of this research. In the two stages, after an interval of three months, the students are taken the same tests. The results revealed that there was no significant difference between EFL attrition rate of abstract and concrete nouns among the continuing students across different proficiency levels. However, this hypothesis was rejected for the non-continuing learners at intermediate and advanced proficiency level.
Pictorial, Textual, and Picto-Textual Glosses in E-Reading: A Comparative Study
Author: Shalmani, Hamed Babaie
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Comparative Analysis,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Reading Comprehension,College Students,Multimedia Instruction,Computer Assisted Instruction,Documentation,Vocabulary,Visual Aids,Foreign Countries,Pretests Posttests

This research explored the effects of three types of multimedia glosses on the reading comprehension of learners in an EFL context. From among the three experimental groups under study, one received treatment on five academic reading passages through picto-textual glosses where both textual definitions and relevant images of words popped up, thus helping learners surmise the meanings of the keywords. In a similar vein, the other two groups received treatment on the same passages, but used either pictorial or textual glosses where pertinent pictures or textual definitions of the keywords appeared on the screen. The experiment showed that the picto-textual-gloss group outperformed the other two groups, and that the pictorial-gloss group outperformed the textual-gloss group. The study thus underpinned Paivio's (1971, 1986, 1991) Dual Coding Theory, arguing that when information is available in two modes of presentation, it becomes more elaborate and thus more memorable. When applied to reading comprehension, the idea suggests that the combination of textual and visual definitions might help learners better decipher the meanings of keywords in reading passages, and hence arrive at an even deeper comprehension of the texts.
Teaching Idiomatic Expressions in Context through Focus on Form Techniques
Author: Dastjerdi, Hossein Vahid
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Form Classes (Languages),Language Patterns,Language Acquisition,Learning Activities,Teaching Methods,Learning Strategies,Educational Practices

A great deal of attention has been paid to the role of idiomatic language in learning a second language. It has been recently recognized by some second language researchers (e.g. Danesi, 2003) that second language speakers may sound unnatural if their speech is devoid of idiomatic language. This article is an attempt to see how the acquisition of idioms can be achieved on the part of EFL students through focus of form techniques. At the end, a number of exercises are provided that are thought to expedite the process of the acquisition of this ubiquitous part of language.
The Practice of English Teaching in the Meteorological Correspondence Education
Author: Miao, Shaohui
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Adult Students,Correspondence Study,Instructional Materials,Meteorology

The correspondence education is the important part of the national education, and its education objects give priority to working staffs. The objects of the meteorological correspondence education are working staffs in the meteorological departments, and most of these students have engaged in the operation work for a long time, keeping at a distance with theoretical learning, and because the attended study time of correspondence education is deficient, and most of them are difficult to study. English is a basic course in the meteorological correspondence education, and the students have different English levels, so the English teaching becomes difficult. To enhance the teaching level of the meteorological correspondence education, the existing problems in the current meteorological correspondence English teaching are analyzed, and the methods of adults' English learning are discussed in this article.
An Analytical Evaluation of Locally Produced Iranian High School ELT Textbooks from 1970 to the Present
Author: Azizifar, Akbar
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Textbooks,Textbook Evaluation,High Schools,Measures (Individuals),Vowels,Phonemes,Grammar,Pattern Drills (Language)

Textbooks play a very crucial role in the process of language teaching and learning. The present study carries out an evaluation of two series of ELT textbooks used for teaching English language in Iranian high schools from 1970 to the present. For this purpose, Tucker's (1975) textbook evaluation model is employed. The results suggest that one of the main factors for the students' achievement in English language is the ELT textbooks. The researchers suggest that in the textbooks, there should be enough opportunity for the learners to practice the language they are learning communicatively.
Improving Retention and Fit by Honing an Honors Admissions Model
Author: Smith, Patricia Joanne
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Students,Honors Curriculum,College Admission,Standardized Tests,Statistical Analysis,Predictor Variables,Academic Persistence,Enrollment,Enrollment Influences,Grade Point Average,Student Diversity,College Entrance Examinations,Regression (Statistics),Models

Since SAT and ACT tests have been long-suspected and then shown to contain class and race biases while not accurately predicting retention, the Schedler Honors College at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) shifted to a holistic, multi-criterion selection process, de-emphasizing standardized tests, and then analyzed the outcomes. This essay discusses the statistical analysis of the admissions criteria at UCA, which served two goals: (1) test whether variables in the admissions model, developed in 2007, predicted retention--the results led to changes in the weighting of variables for a revised rubric used since 2010; and (2) improve enrollment of a more racially diverse population of students. Findings demonstrated that most variables used in typical higher education admissions protocols did not accurately predict retention in the Schedler Honors College at UCA. Only one variable correlated to retention in honors, namely, high school grade point average (hsGPA). By increasing the value of hsGPA in the revamped selection rubric, UCA was able to increase rates of retention as well as diversity of incoming students.
Mental Space Theory and Misunderstanding
Author: Liu, Hui
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cognitive Processes,Misconceptions,Epistemology,Interpersonal Communication

This essay attempts to conduct an explanatory research on MIS within the framework of mental space theory to demonstrate the cognitive operating process of MIS in people's social interaction and explore the deep causes lying behind the phenomenon. By text analysis, the author elaborates on the generating process of MIS, thus tracing cognitive causes that lead to the generation of MIS.
Approaches Employed by Teachers in Teaching Literature to Less Proficient Students in Form 1 and Form 2
Author: Rashid, Radzuwan Ab.
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Strategies,Teaching Methods,Secondary School Students,Questionnaires,Classroom Observation Techniques,Semi Structured Interviews,Language of Instruction,Language Proficiency,English Literature,English (Second Language),English Instruction,Feedback (Response),Teacher Attitudes,Student Reaction,Educational Objectives,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries

This study aimed to identify the approaches and strategies employed by teachers in teaching the literature component to less proficient students in Forms 1 and 2 in selected secondary schools in Kelantan, Malaysia. The study was conducted in 18 rural schools. Triangulation involving the questionnaire as the primary data and classroom observation and semi-structured interview as the secondary data was used. Findings show that the information-based approach is popularly employed by teachers, followed by moral-philosophical approach and paraphrastic approach. The findings indicate that the teaching approach is influenced by the students' inability to comprehend English language which forces teachers to spoon feed the students and use the students' mother tongue as the medium of instruction. The implication is that literature teaching with the aims of developing students' language and thinking skills and generating students' personal response and appreciation may not be achieved.
Notes toward an Excellent Marxist-Elitist Honors Admissions Policy
Author: Herron, Jerry
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Honors Curriculum,Admission Criteria,College Admission,Educational Policy,Educational Quality,Evidence Based Practice,Prediction,Success,Student Recruitment

This essay demonstrates that the honors community is still primarily focused on maintaining the highest levels of academic quality and integrity, but this focus is in sharp contrast to the national dialogue outside academia that more often focuses on mere completion or credentials. The author, Jerry Herron of the honors college at Wayne State University, advocates addressing academic quality through more sophisticated, evidence-based admissions policies that predict student success. The overarching theme of the essay is to inquire how honors administrators predict student success and how they use that predictive power wisely and objectively to admit students and maintain quality. A well-conceived admissions policy tells honors administrators much more than whom to recruit; it becomes the basis for a quantitative defense of what is done with data and puts a convincing dollar value on the good teachings of excellence.