ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Suggested Project to Develop EFL Teaching in the Egyptian Universities in the Light of Knowledge Economy Investing in ELT Innovation
Author: Ghoneim, Nahed Mohammed Mahmoud
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Knowledge Economy,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Graduate Students,Foreign Countries,Scientific Research,Language Role,College Faculty,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Objectives,Universities,Mixed Methods Research,Semi Structured Interviews

Knowledge Investment is a new and unique concept. Converting the output of scientific research into reality requires a promising start-up. Knowledge economy should be given the priority it deserves and be considered one of the strategic objectives of the development plans in Egypt. With English increasingly being positioned as the pre-eminent language of international communication, the current study aims to propose a project to develop English language teaching in the Egyptian universities in the light of knowledge economy. It seeks to illustrate the key success factors in enhancing knowledge economy through English language teaching. To propose the project, the researchers designed a questionnaire of two parts; the first is to analyse the perceptions of Egyptian EFL postgraduate students and teaching staff of the current effectiveness of college English instruction in the Faculty of Education, Menoufia University. The second part of the questionnaire analyses the participants' perceptions of the goals of teaching English as a foreign language in the knowledge economy era. Based on the findings of the quantitative and qualitative data analysis, the researchers presented the suggested project to develop ELT in the Egyptian universities in the light of knowledge economy.
A Study of Ideational Metafunction in Joseph Conrad's &quot;Heart of Darkness&quot;: A Critical Discourse Analysis
Author: Alaei, Mahya
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Literature,Novels,Discourse Analysis,Literary Criticism,Grammar,Literary Devices,Phrase Structure,Ideology,Racial Bias,Foreign Policy,Teaching Methods,Qualitative Research,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction

The linguistic study of literature or critical analysis of literary discourse is no different from any other textual description; it is not a new branch or a new level or a new kind of linguistics but the application of existing theories and methods (Halliday, 2002). This study intends to determine how ideology or opinion is expressed in Joseph Conrad's &quot;Heart of Darkness&quot; and what kind of lexico-grammatical strategies are used in the first part of this novella to convey the author's ideological meaning. By focusing on the lexico-grammatical choices in the transitivity system of the structure of the clauses, the researcher tries to shed light on the ideational meaning in the first section of the story. That is, the grammar of the clause as representation (transitivity patterns) which represents the encoding of experiential meanings: meaning about the world, about experience, about how we perceive and experience what is going on. By examining the transitivity patterns in text, we can explain how the field of situation is being constructed, i.e. we can describe what is being talked about and how shifts are achieved in the field. Both Halliday and Hassan have integrated theoretical statements with demonstrations of text analyses (Hassan, Matthiessen, &amp; Webster, 2005). In that spirit, the researcher here offers a textual demonstration of reading of a literary text. In order to do so, the researcher has identified metafunctional patterns of ideation found in the lexico-grammar of Joseph Conrad's &quot;Heart of Darkness&quot; and has noted the author's use of foregrounding against these patterns to contrast the racist and imperialistic ideologies being opposed to through the frame narration of the whole first part by Marlow as the chief character said to be Conrad's own voice in the process of sailing and cruising on the Thames in a yawl by the name of Nellie.
Special Designed Activities for Learning English Language through the Application of WhatsApp!
Author: Zayed, Niveen Mohammad
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Handheld Devices,Social Media,Computer Oriented Programs,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Learning Activities,Telecommunications,Language Teachers,Student Motivation,Instructional Design,Foreign Countries,College Students,Educational Technology

Students nowadays have strong passion towards the smart mobile phones with all their smart applications. The researcher believes that English language teachers can use the mobile phones, from each now and then, to increase the students' motivation. In this paper, the researcher designed a number of special activities that can be delivered to the students through the application of WhatsApp on the smart mobile phones. The activities are designed for intermediate level but can be modified to suit other levels and contexts.
The Concordance between EFL Learners' Linguistic Sequential Development and the Curricula of Formal and Informal Learning Settings: An Analytical Study
Author: Albaqshi, Jalal H.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computational Linguistics,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Simulation,Writing Skills,English for Special Purposes,Textbooks,Course Objectives,Needs Assessment,Workshops,Foreign Countries,Student Needs,Curriculum Development,Linguistic Input,Technology Education,Student Attitudes

This research explores the sequence of content in ESP curricula to our learners' linguistic development and to authentic situations. This study has been conducted in Alahsa College of Technology, Saudi Arabia. Methodology used was an analysis of an ESP textbook in corpus-based approach and matching the units of the textbook to students' needs analysis of observed real life situation in a car workshop. Results show that the content of the textbook, to some extent, meet the course objectives and students' needs in technical terms with some shortage in expanding the activities to be a functional simulation of an authentic environment regarding conversational and written skills.
Applying Sight Translation as a Means to Enhance Reading Ability of Iranian EFL Students
Author: Fatollahi, Moslem
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Translation,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Pretests Posttests,Control Groups,Foreign Countries,Oral Language,Teaching Methods,Reading Comprehension,Undergraduate Students,Quasiexperimental Design

Sight translation is the oral translation of a written text and is a mixture of translation and interpreting. Sight translation is a widely-used activity in translation training programs. Yet, this mode of translation has rarely been applied as a reading instruction technique in Iranian EFL instruction context in spite of the growing interest in using sight translation in language teaching and learning. This study aims at investigating the effect of sight translation on the reading comprehension ability of Iranian undergraduate EFL students. This is a quasi-experimental study involving treatment. To this end, four reading comprehension classes involving 70 learners were divided into two groups, with the experimental one receiving reading instruction with sight translation exercises and the control group receiving reading instruction without sight translation exercises. The posttest results revealed that the experimental group performing sight translation exercises in classroom outperformed the control group who had not engaged in sight translation. This study has implications for ELT instructors and learners in an Iranian context as they can use sight translation exercises as an effective technique for improving the reading comprehension ability of their learners.
The Effect of Blackboard Collaborate-Based Instruction on Pre-Service Teachers' Achievement in the EFL Teaching Methods Course at Faculties of Education for Girls
Author: Hussein, Hussein El-ghamry Mohammad
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Integrated Learning Systems,Web Based Instruction,Preservice Teachers,Videoconferencing,Academic Achievement,Methods Courses,Females,English (Second Language),Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Teaching Methods,Comparative Analysis,Synchronous Communication,Asynchronous Communication,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis,Nonparametric Statistics,Instructional Effectiveness,Hypothesis Testing,Cooperative Learning,Electronic Learning,Quasiexperimental Design,English Departments

This study investigated the effect of Blackboard-based instruction on pre-service teachers' achievement in the teaching methods course at The Faculty of Education for Girls, in Bisha, KSA. Forty seventh-level English Department students were randomly assigned into either the experimental group (N = 20) or the control group (N = 20). While studying their teaching methods course, the experimental group received instruction via Blackboard Collaborate, whereas the control group received traditional instruction. The two groups were pre-post tested using a teaching methods test prepared by the researcher. Two hypotheses were formulated and tested. Results obtained from Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and Mann-Whitney Test revealed that Blackboard-based instruction was effective in enhancing the achievement of the experimental group. In addition, compared to traditional instruction, Blackboard-based instruction was more effective in improving the participants' achievement as it provided them with multiple opportunities to explore alternative means to interact with teachers, peers, course material and activities.
How School Leaders Might Promote Higher Levels of Collective Teacher Efficacy at the Level of School and Team
Author: Prelli, Gail E.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership Responsibility,Teacher Effectiveness,Statistical Analysis,Administrator Behavior,Teamwork,Correlation,Transformational Leadership,English Language Learners,Self Efficacy,Teacher Collaboration,Likert Scales,Elementary Schools,Teacher Surveys

Leaders search for effective leadership practices to ensure success. A quantitative study was conducted to determine what behaviors a leader could use to improve collective teacher efficacy at the level of the entire faculty and at the level of grade level teams. This article focuses on using the inverse relationship between transformational leadership and collective teacher efficacy to strengthen efficacy of teachers of English Language Learners. The Collective Efficacy Scale (Goddard, 2001) was modified to measure the perceptions of teachers at both levels; entire faculty's collective efficacy and the collective efficacy of their team. Thus, this article also provides leaders with important information regarding teaming within schools. The significant difference found between collective teacher efficacy at the level of school and team, provides important information for leaders to consider as they support professional learning teams. Success for all would be promoted as leaders increase efficacy within teams by employing the concepts of developing leadership teams and purposeful learning communities (Hill &amp; Lundquist, 2008).
The Relationship between Teaching Styles and Autonomy among Iranian Female EFL Teachers, Teaching at Advanced Levels
Author: Baradaran, Abdollah
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,Teaching Styles,Professional Autonomy,Statistical Analysis,Nonparametric Statistics,Questionnaires,Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Advanced Students,Scores,Teacher Attitudes,Foreign Countries

The current research aimed at inspecting the existence of a significant relationship between teachers' teaching styles and their Autonomy. For this reason, two questionnaires with regard to the main variables were given to 175 female English language teachers, teaching at advanced levels. Moreover, non-parametric Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests were selected to compare the levels of each style in terms of Autonomy scores. The results showed no significant correlation between the two variables.
Using Movies in EFL Classrooms: A Study Conducted at the English Language Institute (ELI), King Abdul-Aziz University
Author: Kabooha, Raniah Hassen
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Films,Teaching Methods,Semi Structured Interviews,Positive Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Language Skills,Foreign Countries,Journal Writing,Language Teachers,Higher Education

The present study sought to examine the attitudes of Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) learners as well as teachers towards the integration of English movies in their classes as a tool to develop students' language skills. Fifty female intermediate level students studying English in their Preparatory Year Program (PYP) in the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdul-Aziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, participated in the study. Questionnaires were administered to the students to investigate their perceptions towards the integration of English movies in their classes to develop their language skills. The researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews with both students and teachers to explore their perceptions towards the use of movies in their classes. In addition, teachers were required to write reflective journals regarding the use of movies in their classes. The findings of the study indicate that both students as well as teachers had positive attitudes towards the use of movies in their classes to improve students' language skills. The study offers pedagogical implications for EFL instructors with respect to the integration of films in their classrooms to improve students' language learning. Well-selected movie materials could enhance students' language learning process and increase their motivation to learn the target language.
Non-English Majors' Listening Teaching Based on Lexical Chunks Theory and Schema Theory
Author: He, Xiaoyu
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Nonmajors,Listening Comprehension,Lexicology,Schemata (Cognition),Language Tests,Scores,Evaluation Criteria,Language Proficiency,Listening Skills,Teaching Methods,Memorization,Word Recognition,College Freshmen,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis

English listening is seen as a vital means of linguistic input for Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners, which lays a solid foundation for English learning and communication with English speakers. Besides, with increasing of scores of the listening part in the newly-reformed CET-4 and CET-6 (CET refers to college English test in China and both tests are the evaluation criteria of non-English majors' English proficiency), it is urgent to improve non-English majors' listening abilities in language teaching. However, students find listening to English stressful and painful and it is hard for them to process information quickly enough when listening. Meanwhile, their listening abilities cannot be improved effectively by the traditional English listening teaching methods. Researchers at home and abroad have discussed listening strategies, but seldom study the combination of lexical chunks theory and schema theory in improving non-English majors' listening. Therefore, this research first proposes a lexical chunks schema-oriented listening teaching method which can effectively improve non-English majors' listening abilities and then conducts an empirical study to verify its effectiveness. As the lexical chunks schema-oriented listening teaching method suggests, activities about memorization, recognition and reconstruction of lexical chunks, activation of the existed schema and building up new schema should be carried out in pre-listening, while-listening and post-listening in the listening class.
What if There Is Nobody Around to Speak English? Then Keep Your Voice Diary
Author: Yaman, Ismail
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Diaries,Foreign Countries,Semi Structured Interviews,Qualitative Research,Language Fluency,Language Skills,Anxiety,Oral Language,Language Usage,Student Attitudes,Audio Equipment,Drills (Practice),Undergraduate Students,Case Studies

This study aims to explore English Language Teaching (ELT) prep-class students' perceptions of keeping personal voice diaries via a voice recorder as a way to extend speaking practice beyond the classroom walls. Following a ten-week treatment under which 12 voluntary students attending ELT prep-class at Ondokuz Mayis University kept voice diaries in English outside the school on a regular daily basis, data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The qualitative analyses of the students' answers indicate that an overwhelming majority of them regard speaking as a challenging skill due to factors like lack of fluency and excessive anxiety. As for the accessible chances to practice oral English, most of the participants report that there is an apparent inadequacy of opportunities beyond school. When asked about the contribution of individual voice diaries to the alleviation of the lack-of-practice-opportunities problem, almost all of the participants except one evaluate keeping voice diaries as an effective means of speaking improvement. It is praised mostly for its boosting effect on self-expression skills, fluency, and pronunciation; and for its lowering effect on anxiety and stress. In line with the findings of this study, it can be concluded that there is no equivalent substitute for the improvement of oral skills through dialogue and interaction between human beings in flesh and blood; however, keeping voice diaries on an individual basis can somehow help EFL learners overcome the limited conditions they face during their struggle to practice and improve oral English.
Testing the Noticing Function of the Output Hypothesis
Author: Alsulami, Sumayyah Qaed
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Hypothesis Testing,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Writing Skills,Foreign Countries,Identification,Writing (Composition),Comparative Analysis,Revision (Written Composition),Case Studies,Adult Students,English Language Learners

In spite of Krashen's (1985) claims that the only way to acquire a second language is through non-stressful comprehensible input, Swain (1995, 1998, 2005) and others propose that the production of language (speaking or writing), under certain circumstances, is a significant part of the second-language acquisition process. Swain also states that there are three functions of output, and one of these is the noticing or triggering function, in which through producing output, learners become aware of their linguistic knowledge. This study examines the role and effectiveness of output--in particular, the noticing function of language output--in developing the writing skills of an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student from Saudi Arabia. The notice function enables the student to identify lexis and grammar problems in his writing. Data collection for the study was conducted in three stages: In Stage 1 the participant, who studies English at Latrobe Language Centre in Level 4A, wrote three paragraphs in response to illustrated questions. In Stage 2, the participant compared his original writing to model paragraph feedback tools. In Stage 3, the student rewrote his original paragraphs based on what he noticed in Stages 1 and 2. This methodology demonstrated the aspects of language that a second-language learner noticed while forming a paragraph on his own. It also illustrated what the participant noticed when he compared his writing to a model and what changes he made to his writing, as a result. It pushed the learner to create a modified output, leading to development of his writing skills in second-language acquisition.
Instructional Efficacy of Portfolio for Assessing Iranian EFL Learners' Speaking Ability
Author: Safari, Mahshad
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Portfolios (Background Materials),Portfolio Assessment,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Pretests Posttests,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Evaluation Methods,Adolescents,Video Technology,Check Lists,Language Proficiency

Regarding the fundamental role of speaking in language skills, this study intended to investigate the effects of speaking portfolio as an alternative form of assessment for assessing Iranian EFL learners' speaking ability at the intermediate and advanced proficiency levels and also its impact on their attitudes. Accordingly, from the population of 72 students studying at Kowsar Language Institute in Esfahan, a sample of 64 male and female intermediate and advanced students were randomly selected based on their scores on an OPT test and they were assigned to 4 groups: intermediate and advanced experimental groups and intermediate and advanced control groups. In order to collect the data, a pretest and a posttest as well as a questionnaire were employed. To analyze the data, an ANOVA and a series of Chi-square were run in the study and the findings indicated that the experimental groups using speaking portfolios performed better than the control groups in terms of speaking ability. Moreover, the result shed light on the advantages of speaking portfolios such as self-assessment, peer-feedback, and improvement of speaking skill. This study provides instructors, administrators, and test developers with alternative ways to improve and assess speaking skill through speaking portfolios.
An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Online Text-to-Speech Tools in Improving EFL Teacher Trainees' Pronunciation
Author: Eksi, Gonca Yangin
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Assistive Technology,Educational Technology,Computer Mediated Communication,English (Second Language),English Teachers,Trainees,Pronunciation,Pronunciation Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Electronic Learning,Oral Language,Achievement Tests,College Students,State Universities,Pretests Posttests,Questionnaires,Opinions,Scoring Rubrics,Dialects,Web Sites,Independent Study,Teacher Education,Oral Communication Method,Quasiexperimental Design,Likert Scales,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

Given the limited time for instruction in the classroom, pronunciation often ends up as the most neglected aspect of language teaching. However, in cases when the learner's pronunciation is expected to be good or native-like, as is expected of language teacher trainees, out-of-class self-study options become prominent. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of online text-to-speech tools used by EFL teacher trainees when preparing for an oral achievement test. The study was conducted with 43 junior year teacher trainees at a large state university in Turkey. A pre- and post-test experimental design was used. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire to explore the trainees' opinions related to pronunciation and their practices to improve this, a post reflection questionnaire for the effectiveness of the procedure, and a speaking rubric to evaluate the oral presentations of the trainees. The results indicate that the trainees perceived a native-like accent as a measure of being a good language teacher. It was also revealed that text-to-speech websites are effective self-study tools in improving trainees' pronunciation.