ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Application of Effective Techniques in Teaching/Learning English
Author: Arora, Shweta
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Instructional Innovation,Communication Skills,Course Evaluation,Outcome Measures,Data Analysis,Lesson Plans,Barriers,Grammar,Error Analysis (Language),Pronunciation,Drills (Practice),Observation,Feedback (Response),College Second Language Programs,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries

English being a global language has become a vital element in all walks of life. The feelers of this language have left no sphere unmarked with its significance. Despite such a colossal tide for gaining command over the language it was found that the conventional pattern of teaching English language could not reap desired results. A comprehensive and analytical study of the aforesaid problem stirred researchers to work in this area. In order to enhance the communication skills of native speakers, practical implications were incorporated to theoretical principles of English Language teaching/learning. The present paper discusses the application and results of the experimental procedure of the effective techniques employed in English teaching/learning. The various techniques used in the modus operandi of enhancing the communication skills of the students were small talk conversations, SWOT analysis, phonetics, avoiding Indianism, vocabulary building through mnemonics and root words, describing and narrating visual stimulus, listening to important speeches followed by comprehension, sharing reviews after watching motivational videos/movies, peer learning and delivering effective presentations. The learning outcomes of the aforesaid activities included better reasoning, enhanced thought process, ability to concoct innovative ideas, command over language, improved communication skills, fluency etc.
Developing Model Assesement for Learning (AFL) to Improve Quality and Evaluation in Pragmatic Course in IAIN Surakarta
Author: Retnaningsih, Woro
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pragmatics,Educational Quality,College Faculty,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Models,Reliability,Instructional Materials,Second Language Instruction,Scores,Vocabulary Development,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Student Evaluation,Sample Size,College Students

The research objective is to develop a model of Assessment for Learning (AFL) in Pragmatic course in IAIN Surakarta. The research problems are as follows: How did the lecturer develop a model of AFL? What was the form of assessment information used as the model of AFL? How was the results of the implementation of the model of assessment. The method used in this study is Research, Development and Diffusion. There were three steps activities in this model. &quot;The first&quot; step, the researcher done the activities included doing the basic scientific inquiry, investigation issues of education, data collection and designing the operational research planning. &quot;The second&quot; step, the researcher was composing AFL modeling, data validation from the experts and practitioners, composing readability test; included trial operation models to find solutions to the problems, planning an educational programs, testing, and evaluating the programs. &quot;The third&quot; step was diffusion, the researcher informing the target system, demonstrations programs, training to use the target system and program solutions, servicing and maintaining. The population of this study were 150 students from fives classes. From the data analysis shown than the application of AFL model for Pragmatic course could be improved in understanding the materials and English performing. The average score of Pragmatic course was 3.18 from 5 parallel classes, while the average scores of Vocabulary course is 2.40 from 5 parallel classes. The data analysis is shown that AFL method was more suitable to teach English Pragmatic course than English Vocabulary course.
The Effect of Talking Story Books on Saudi Young EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension
Author: Alsamadani, Hashem Ahmed
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Multivariate Analysis,Control Groups,Reading Comprehension,Foreign Countries,Experimental Groups,Reading Tests,Teaching Methods,Males,Elementary School Students,Prereading Experience,Reading Aloud to Others,Story Reading,Task Analysis,Phonics,Spelling

The current research study investigated the effects of talking story books on Saudi young EFL learners' reading comprehension skills. A sample of Saudi-young-EFL learners were randomly selected and divided into two groups: an experimental group (40 students) and a control group (39 students). Students of both groups took a pre reading comprehension test at the mid of the 2016 academic year. The researcher used the talking story books when teaching the experimental group for four weeks whereas the students in the control group were taught without the use of talking story books. After four weeks of instruction, both groups completed the same reading comprehension test again. Measures of the means, standard deviations, and MANCOVA were used to determine the differences between the two groups. The study revealed that students who attended reading classes using talking story books outperformed their control group counterparts in many reading-based skills. This is indicative of the positive effects of talking story books on EFL young learners reading comprehension skills.
An e-Learning Team's Life on and Offline: A Collaborative Self-Ethnography in Postgraduate Education Development
Author: Clapp, Alison
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Electronic Learning,Ethnography,Case Studies,Graduate Study,Medical Schools,Curriculum Development,Online Courses,Distance Education,Staff Development,School Personnel,Research Methodology,Interprofessional Relationship,Specialists,Interviews,Participant Observation

This paper primarily discusses the methodology of a case study into interactions and working practices of an elearning team, on and offline. Although several ethnographies have been published on online learning, there are apparently none involving communities developing courses. This is a unique insight, bringing a new view of course and staff development. The e-learning team develops courses in the Faculty of Medical Sciences Graduate School in a UK higher education institution. Interactions occur online and offline, the team's workplace &quot;setting&quot;. The ethnography is to inform future staff development by analysing interaction outside the team with the subject specialists, generally time-poor clinicians and research scientists who have varied experience of e-learning, but are required to provide course content and to teach their subjects in online distance learning courses. Records kept by team members were enlarged upon via weekly interviews and collated by a team member who developed a narrative, subsequently coded into content themes. The main themes were technology, pedagogy and communication. Conversation analysis provided theories on methods useful in staff development for later action research. Consideration was also given to issues of power within the interactional relationships. The paper discusses challenges and strengths of this collaborative self-ethnography as a research methodology in this e-learning setting. It was concluded that collaborative self-ethnography is a highly suitable research methodology for this type of study.
Exploring the Unknown: The Autonomy of Saudi EFL Learners
Author: Alrabai, Fakieh
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Personal Autonomy,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Standardized Tests,Achievement Tests,Foreign Countries,Academic Achievement,Student Surveys,Statistical Analysis,Role,Scores,Correlation,Gender Differences,Secondary School Students,College Students

This study addresses a new area of research in Saudi Arabia. Using a sample of 630 Saudi students, it investigates learners' level of autonomy and its relationship to academic achievement in English as a foreign language (EFL). Learners' level of autonomy was measured by a survey, whereas their achievement was evaluated using standardized achievement tests. The data were analyzed using descriptive analyses and a t-test. The findings revealed that learners were &quot;non-autonomous,&quot; with a mean autonomy score of 2.35 out of 5; and also low language achievers (M = 66 out of 100). Gender had a significant effect on autonomy and achievement. These findings emphasize the vast lack of awareness of the vital role of learner autonomy in the Saudi EFL setting. The study suggests that Saudi learners and teachers alike require increased awareness of the importance of the concept of autonomy and that practical means to promote Saudi EFL learner autonomy should be sought and practiced.
The E-Learning Setting Circle: First Steps toward Theory Development in E-Learning Research
Author: Rüth, Marco
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Educational Research,Educational Theories,Logical Thinking,Development,Models,Research Methodology,Decision Making,Goal Orientation

E-learning projects and related research generate an increasing amount of evidence within and across various disciplines and contexts. The field is very heterogeneous as e-learning approaches are often characterized by rather unique combinations of situational factors that guide the design and realization of e-learning in a bottom-up fashion. Comprehensive theories of e-learning that allow deductive reasoning and hence a more top-down strategy are missing so far, but they are highly desirable. In view of the current situation, inductive reasoning is the prevalent way of scientific progress in e-learning research and the first step toward theory development: individual projects provide the insights necessary to gradually build up comprehensive theories and models. In this context, comparability and generalizability of project results are the keys to success. Here we propose a new model--the &quot;E-Learning Setting Circle&quot;--that will promote comparability and generalizability of project results by structuring, standardizing, and guiding e-learning approaches at the level of a general research methodology. The model comprises three clusters--context setting, structure setting, and content setting--each of which comprises three individual issues that are not necessarily sequential but frequently encountered in e-learning projects. Two further elements are incorporated: on the one hand, we delineate the central role of objective setting and the assessment of the goal attainment level (guiding element); on the other hand, we highlight the importance of multi-criteria decision-making (universal element). Overall, the proposed circular model is a strategic framework intended to foster theory development in the area of e-learning projects and research.
Moving outside the Box: Researching e-Learning in Disruptive Times
Author: Charbonneau-Gowdy, Paula
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Educational Research,Qualitative Research,Social Environment,Cultural Context,Research Methodology,Ethics,Affordances,Postmodernism,Reflection,Criticism

The rise of technology's influence in a cross-section of fields within formal education, not to mention in the broader social world, has given rise to new forms in the way we view learning, i.e. what constitutes valid knowledge and how we arrive at that knowledge. Some scholars have claimed that technology is but a tool to support the meaning-making that lies at the root of knowledge production while others argue that technology is increasingly and inextricably intertwined not just with knowledge construction but with changes to knowledge makers themselves. Regardless which side one stands in this growing debate, it is difficult to deny that the processes we use to research learning supported by technology in order to understand these growing intricacies, have profound implications. In this paper, my aim is to argue and defend a call in the research on ICT for a critical reflective approach to researching technology use. Using examples from qualitative research in e-learning I have conducted on three continents over 15 years, and in diverse educational contexts, I seek to unravel the means and justification for research approaches that can lead to closing the gap between research and practice. These studies combined with those from a cross-disciplinary array of fields support the promotion of a research paradigm that examines the socio-cultural contexts of learning with ICT, at a time that coincides with technology becoming a social networking facilitator. Beyond the examples and justification of the merits and power of qualitative research to uncover the stories &quot;that matter&quot; in these socially embodied e-learning contexts, I discuss the methodologically and ethically charged decisions using emerging affordances of technology for analyzing and representing results, including visual ethnography. The implications both for the consumers and producers of research of moving outside the box of established research practices are yet unfathomable but exciting.
Language Practitioners' Reflections on Method-Based and Post-Method Pedagogies
Author: Soomro, Abdul Fattah
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),College Second Language Programs,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Semi Structured Interviews,Instructional Effectiveness,Performance Factors,Teacher Surveys,Instructional Innovation,Instructional Improvement,Comparative Analysis

Method-based pedagogies are commonly applied in teaching English as a foreign language all over the world. However, in the last quarter of the 20th century, the concept of such pedagogies based on the application of a single best method in EFL started to be viewed with concerns by some scholars. In response to the growing concern against the concept of a method, some scholars started to offer alternatives to a method in different forms. Kumaravadivelu is one of the scholars who offers his post-method macro-strategic framework as an alternative to method-based pedagogies. This small-scale study explores English language practitioners' experience and their views about applying method-based and post-method pedagogies. Semi-structured pre- and post-interviews were conducted from eight participants. The pre-interviews investigated the teacher-participants' views about the method-based pedagogies in practice and the post-interviews aimed at knowing the prospects and concerns in the application of post-method pedagogies in their context. Although participants were skeptical of the concept of methods, they considered them useful in making contribution towards learning and teaching English. They found post-method pedagogies as more preferable option to method-based pedagogies in ELT on the ground; the post-method pedagogies, according to them, give broad directions while specific methods make teachers to work within narrow guidelines. However, they showed certain concerns in the application of such pedagogies in their context.
Workshops as a Research Methodology
Author: Ørngreen, Rikke
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Workshops,Research Methodology,Electronic Learning,Videoconferencing,Data Analysis,Research Design,Faculty Development,Secondary Education,Higher Education,Foreign Countries

This paper contributes to knowledge on workshops as a research methodology, and specifically on how such workshops pertain to e-learning. A literature review illustrated that workshops are discussed according to three different perspectives: workshops as a means, workshops as practice, and workshops as a research methodology. Focusing primarily on the latter, this paper presents five studies on upper secondary and higher education teachers' professional development and on teaching and learning through video conferencing. Through analysis and discussion of these studies' findings, we argue that workshops provide a platform that can aid researchers in identifying and exploring relevant factors in a given domain by providing means for understanding complex work and knowledge processes that are supported by technology (for example, e-learning). The approach supports identifying factors that are not obvious to either the participants or the researchers prior to commencing the workshop process. This paper also discusses the facilitator's different clinical and ethnographic roles and highlights the risks and ethical issues involved during both the workshop process and the workshop data analysis. As such, these collaborative and immersive aspects frame workshops as a research approach that has the potential to advance meaning negotiation between researchers and participants.
On Culture Infiltration and the Strategy Integrated with Specialty Characteristics in College English Teaching
Author: Liu, Juan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College English,Teaching Methods,Integrated Curriculum,College Second Language Programs,Cultural Awareness,Cultural Literacy,Educational Strategies,Team Training,Material Development,Instructional Innovation,Task Analysis,Learning Activities,Extracurricular Activities,Evaluation Methods,Educational Practices,Foreign Countries

Language is an indispensable part of culture, and it is also a major carrier and medium of culture communication and transmission. Learning a foreign language means not only learning basic language knowledge, training and improving the ability of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating, but enriching the cross-cultural awareness, cultivating cross-cultural communication competence and making the voice of native culture to communicate with the outside world. Thus, more and more educators and teachers at home and aboard have come to realize the importance of culture teaching in language learning. This paper focuses on inputting culture teaching in College English teaching integrated with specialty characteristics. The importance of culture teaching in college English teaching is analyzed and emphasized and several inspirational and referential strategies of culture teaching integrated with specialty characteristics are also provided.
Quality-Improving Strategies of College English Teaching Based on Microlesson and Flipped Classroom
Author: Zhang, Fan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College English,Teaching Methods,Educational Quality,Instructional Improvement,Instructional Innovation,Educational Strategies,Technology Uses in Education,Microteaching,College Second Language Programs,Educational Change,Foreign Countries,Blended Learning

Microlesson and flipped classroom, which incorporate the educational information technologies, are a new trend of college English teaching. Exploration on how the flipped classroom and microlesson promote innovation and application of educational information technology are of great significance. According to a survey among teachers, strategies that can improve the quality of college English teaching may include: strengthening teacher training; reforming the previous teaching evaluation system; managing the pre-class and classroom time; correctly understanding the role of modern education technology in college English teaching; paying attention to convergence between teaching materials and teaching software; implementing a variety of teaching methods, and strengthening the interaction inside and outside of the classroom.
Rhetorical Interpretation of Abstracts in Sci-Tech Theses Based on Burke's Identification Theory
Author: Zhong, Jihong
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Documentation,Theses,Rhetorical Criticism,Scientific and Technical Information,Identification,Accuracy,Empathy,Writing Strategies,Literary Styles,Educational Practices,Comparative Analysis,Journal Articles

Abstract of a thesis is the brief and accurate representation of the thesis, with the important function of persuading readers to read on the thesis. So how the writer constructs the abstract and wins readers' recognition is our main focus. On the basis of Burke's Identification Theory, this paper analyzed 10 abstracts from &quot;Nature&quot; from content and form perspective respectively. The results show that identifications by sympathy, by antithesis and by inaccuracy are three main content identification strategies and conventional form is the main form identification strategy, which combine together to improve the objectivity and persuasion of abstracts.
The Effect of Brain-Based Teaching on Young EFL Learners' Self-Efficacy
Author: Oghyanous, Parastoo Alizadeh
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Efficacy,Brain,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Questionnaires,Control Groups,Indo European Languages,Translation,Statistical Analysis,Experimental Groups,Scores,Second Language Instruction,Reliability,Language Processing,Secondary School Students,Student Attitudes,Language Teachers,Foreign Countries,Pretests Posttests

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of brain-based teaching on the self-efficacy of young EFL learners. The initial participants of the study were 90 learners within the age range of 13-16 who were selected based on convenience sampling. Theses 90 young EFL learners were given a Flyers test the scores of which were used to choose 60 homogeneous learners whose scores fell within the range of +/- one standard deviation from the mean. The 60 selected learners were then divided into an experimental and a control group. A Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C), developed by Muris (2001) was administered to the participants in both groups before and after the treatment after being translated into Persian and piloted for reliability check. To implement brain-based teaching in the experimental group, the researcher taught the lessons based on the three techniques of Brain Based Teaching Approach (BBTA). The three techniques used were Relaxed Alertness (RA), Orchestrated Immersion (OI) and Active Processing (AP) in line with Thomas and Swamy (2014). The results of statistical analyses indicated that brain-based teaching approach had a significant effect on students' self-efficacy. The findings of the study can have implications for both students and EFL teachers in the realm of foreign language learning and teaching.