ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Pragmatics of Color in Antara's Poetry
Author: Btoosh, Mousa A.
Date: 2014-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Color,Poetry,Figurative Language,Pragmatics,Semitic Languages,Social Attitudes

Perhaps rarely is there any piece of Pre-Islamic Arabic literature where color features more strongly and less naturally than in Antara's poetry. Therefore, the intended message of color in Antara's poetry is adequately understood inasmuch as the pragmatic implicatures of color are worked out. Evidence in literature explicitly attributes Antara's extraordinary concern with color to the dramatic impact of his dark complexion, which is, in turn, closely reflected in his careful choice of the lexical elements and black poetic images and metaphors throughout his poetic works. However, none of the previous attempts, devoted to analyzing his poetry, has pointed to the possibility of the involvement of pragmatics, pretext or abstract context in the interpretation of color. That is, color has been always interpreted literally in all the previous studies devoted to exploring Antara's poetry. This article argues that much of the message of color in Antara's works goes beyond the natural or literal meaning, and thus, much of the color story has not been revealed yet. To this end, an attempt is made here to reveal the color subtext via a psycho-pragmatic construct. Results reveal that Antara skillfully and purposely uses color in an attempt to: (i) alleviate the negative connotations clung to &quot;blackness&quot; via associating it with all that of precious values, immortality, elegance, eternity and strength and (ii) belittle the prevailing social values associated with &quot;whiteness&quot; by using it in contexts where blackness outweighs whiteness.
The Extend of Adaptation Bloom's Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain in English Questions Included in General Secondary Exams
Author: Alzu'bi, Mohammad Akram
Date: 2014-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Taxonomy,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Second Language Instruction,Language Tests,Thinking Skills,Test Items,Item Analysis,Exit Examinations,Statistical Analysis

The study aimed at analyzing English questions of the Jordanian Secondary Certificate Examinations via Blooms' cognitive levels. An analysis sheet was prepared by the researcher for the purpose of the study, which was ensured to be valid and reliable. The whole questions of the general secondary examinations for English course in both levels (level three and level four) during 2010-2013 composed the sample of the study. Frequencies and percentages were tabulated to facilitate the analysis of the results. The result of the study revealed that the total percentage of the first three levels (comprehension, knowledge, and analysis) is (69.6) but the total percentage of the last three levels (application, synthesis, and evaluation) is (30.4) so it indicated that the English questions included in general secondary examinations emphasize low order thinking levels. The researcher recommended that the questions designers should improve their questioning techniques in writing questions of exams.
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety among China Chinese Students Undergoing the Laureate English Programme in INTI International University, Malaysia
Author: Ampalagan, Meghavaani d/o
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Anxiety,College Second Language Programs,English (Second Language),Test Anxiety,Classroom Communication,Gender Differences,Fear,Student Evaluation,Second Language Learning,Student Attitudes,Language Proficiency,Statistical Distributions,Behavior Rating Scales,Cohort Analysis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between foreign language classroom anxiety (communication apprehension, test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation) among Mainland Chinese students undergoing the Laureate English Programme in INTI International University, Malaysia. The participants of this study consisted of 75 students (44 male students and 31 female students). The results showed female students have a higher value in all three components compared to male students. As for fear of negative evaluation, both male and female students showed a slight or almost no difference in the level of anxiety. The findings of this study might help teachers who are engaged in the programme to have a better grasp of how they could help the students lessen the level of foreign language classroom anxiety.
Overcoming the Biological Trap: A Study of Ernest Hemingway's &quot;A Farewell to Arms&quot; and &quot;The Old Man and the Sea&quot;
Author: Tsavmbu, Aondover Alexis
Date: 2014-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: United States Literature,Twentieth Century Literature,Novels,Biology,Literary Devices

Ernest Hemingway is one of the greatest writers that America has produced. His works have indeed, contributed immensely in shaping the literary path in his country. All his novels are tragedies and his heroes tragic heroes because he is always conscious of man's mortality. In this paper, we have undertaken a critical study of Hemingway's exploration of the theme of &quot;the trapped man&quot; in &quot;A Farewell to Arms&quot; and &quot;The Old Man and the Sea.&quot; Hemingway believes that man is biologically trapped and doomed to suffer and die. This is clearly demonstrated by Frederick Henry in &quot;A Farewell to Arms.&quot; However, in &quot;The Old Man and the Sea,&quot; Santiago, the protagonist has demonstrated that though man is a victim of a hostile universe, he is not made for defeat. Santiago's actions prove that with a dogged determination and focus, it is possible for humanity to overcome the biological trap and achieve success in life. We believe that this important lesson lays credence to the utilitarian value of literature to the society. This prerequisite for overcoming the biological trap is a necessary antidote because the trap does not only hang over Hemingway's characters but humanity as a whole.
Enhancing Content Knowledge in Essay Writing Classes: A Multimedia Package for Iranian EFL Learners
Author: Majelan, Marziyeh Tahmouresi
Date: 2014-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Translation,Multimedia Instruction,Educational Technology,Audio Equipment,Pretests Posttests,Essays,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Comparative Analysis,Knowledge Level

The main objective of this study was to investigate empirically if promoting a multimedia package enhances content knowledge in essay writing of 80 junior English translation students at a University in Karaj, Iran; plus, whether the learners' writing content improve due to the presence of the multimedia package or not. The multimedia was considered to be a CD, containing recordings both in first language (L1 = Farsi) and in second language (L2 = English) along with manipulative and task-based activities. A homogenizing test, the pre-posttests, and the material in a form of a CD (treatment including forty of the most common TOEFL essays both in L1 and L2 plus manipulative tasks to fulfill) provided by the researcher, were the instruments in the study. After 14 weeks, both the experimental and control groups sat for the posttest with exactly the same characteristics of pretest except for the topics. When the collected data was analyzed, a mean difference of t-test along with a paired t-test showed a significant difference between the performance of the control and the experimental groups, regarding the content. Consequently, the statistics proved that enhancing content knowledge by means of a multimedia package containing recordings plus manipulative and task-based activities would improve students' writing ability while the control group in which a current traditional rhetoric approach was used, the placebo, did not show any statistically significant improvement regarding content.
Gender Discrimination in Death Reportage: Reconnoitering Disparities through a Comparative Analysis of Male and Female Paid Obituaries of Pakistani English Newspapers
Author: Chaudhry, Sajid M.
Date: 2014-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Newspapers,Death,English,Interviews,Gender Differences,Gender Discrimination,News Reporting,Cultural Influences,Hypothesis Testing,Mixed Methods Research

The study examines the issue of gender discrimination in the post death scenario of obituarial discourse. It aims to identify the way Pakistani newspaper obituaries recognize and project males and females after their deaths. A total of 601 paid obituaries published in a year's time span in Pakistani English newspapers were evaluated for the purpose. 10 qualitative interviews were also conducted to supplement the findings and discussion. Quantification of the data suggests that males not only get more obituaries but also get added projection when compared to females. To understand the reasons behind this varied treatment, the participants' responses were analyzed. The findings reveal that the observed differences in the death reportage of both genders do not purely fall in the line of gender discrimination. Males get situational advantage due to the factors like familial traditions, religious beliefs, cultural traditions and socioeconomic environments.
Communication Apprehension among Nilai College Students
Author: Sabri, Uryani
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Speech Skills,English (Second Language),English Language Learners,Communicative Competence (Languages),Anxiety,Cohort Analysis,Fear,Interpersonal Communication,Group Discussion,Meetings,Public Speaking,Affective Measures,Statistical Analysis,Likert Scales

In recent years, ESL studies have found that most graduates are critically lacking in speaking skills, especially among Malaysia graduates. With constant struggle to communicate in English which is their second language, they become apprehensive when the need to use the language arises. The purpose of this study is to investigate communication apprehension among students from Nilai University College and whether the communication apprehension would differ among students from different semester. The respondents for the study were two classes from two different semesters with 30 students each. In this study, the PRCA-24 was used to collect data. By conducting this study, it is hoped to provide valuable insights on students' communication apprehension.
Speech Act of Responding to Rudeness: A Case Study of Malaysian University Students
Author: Farnia, Maryam
Date: 2014-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Interpersonal Communication,Interpersonal Relationship,Antisocial Behavior,Prosocial Behavior,Discourse Analysis,Communication Strategies,Structured Interviews,Speech Acts,Semi Structured Interviews,Questionnaires,Coding,Language Usage,Code Switching (Language),Indonesian Languages,English

Politeness conventions vary across cultures and so is impoliteness and rudeness. In some cases, what is considered rude in one culture or a society is not necessarily rude or impolite in another. This cannot be explained unless more studies on the use of language functions in a specific culture are conducted. The aim of this paper is to investigate Malaysians university students' realization of responding to rudeness. For this purpose, 51 Malaysian university students at Universiti Sains Malaysia took part in this research. The respondents completed a Discourse Completion Task consisting of six situations in which they had to respond to an offensive or a rude language directed toward them. The findings were then analyzed using Beebe and Waring's (2005) a coding scheme of responding rudeness to examine the type and use of strategies in responding to rudeness. Moreover, a post-structured interview was conducted to explore the respondents' perception of politeness, cognition and language of thought (i.e. the language they think in their mind to produce response in the moment) in responding to rudeness. The results showed that participants employ different strategies with variations in contextual variables (i.e. social distance and social status) in their responses. The comparison of participants' production and perception in responding to rudeness provided significant results. It is hoped that the analysis of Malaysian university students' responding to rudeness could add to the body of knowledge in pragmatics and speech act studies in general and to our understanding of Malays university students' realization in responding to rudeness in particular.
Monitoring Indicators of Scholarly Language: A Progress-Monitoring Instrument for Measuring Narrative Discourse Skills
Author: Gillam, Sandra Laing
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Progress Monitoring,Language Impairments,Children,Story Telling,Psychometrics,Academic Discourse,Language Tests,Correlation,Interrater Reliability,Reliability,Construct Validity

The purpose of this study was to assess the basic psychometric properties of a progress-monitoring tool designed to measure narrative discourse skills in school-age children with language impairments (LI). A sample of 109 children with LI between the ages of 5 years 7 months and 9 years 9 months completed the &quot;Test of Narrative Language&quot; (TNL). The stories told in response to the alien picture prompt were transcribed and scored according to the TNL manual criteria and the criteria established for scoring the progress-monitoring tool, Monitoring Indicators of Scholarly Language (MISL). The MISL total score demonstrated acceptable levels of internal consistency reliability, inter-rater reliability, and construct validity for use as a progress-monitoring tool for specific aspects of narrative proficiency. The MISL holds promise as a tool for tracking growth in narrative language proficiency that may be taught as part of an intervention program to support the Common Core Standards related to literacy.
A Study of Displacement in Jean Rhys' Novel &quot;Wide Sargasso Sea&quot;
Author: Jamal, Inna Malissa bte Che
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novels,Twentieth Century Literature,English Literature,Foreign Policy,Theories,Literary Devices,Social Distance

&quot;Wide Sargasso Sea,&quot; by Jean Rhys, is a novel filled with tragedy; two characters in conflict meet in circumstances not in their best interests but rather for other people. This novel is an illustration of the mad woman in the novel &quot;Jane Eyre,&quot; by Charlotte Bronte, as the story of her life before madness is told in the novel &quot;Wide Sargasso Sea.&quot;. This study attempts to elucidate reasons for the feelings of displacement that the Western husband faces during his stay in the Caribbean, and also to discover to what extent the situation contribute to the oppression faced by Antoinette and imposed on her by her Western husband. There are many concepts amongst the theory of post-colonialism, e.g. otherness, hybridity, and (double) alienation. This research's approach differs slightly from some previous research that has been done on this novel, as it focuses on the husband of Antoinette as the victim.
Oppression of the Girl-Child in Buchi Emecheta's &quot;The Bride Price&quot;
Author: Endurance, Anegbe
Date: 2014-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novels,Twentieth Century Literature,Females,Gender Discrimination,African Culture,Slavery,Mothers,Marriage,Parent Role

Emecheta's writing gives an impression to readers that specifically, Nigerian culture is passive and patriarchal and that she does not see a suitable position for women in such a depressing male dominated society. The pivotal issues in the novel are slavery, motherhood, marriage and African traditions over its influence of the modern world. According to the popular saying: &quot;The home is the foundation of the society&quot;, meaning, destroy the home, the society collapse. However, the unwitting behavior of &quot;The Girl-Child&quot; in the society could be traced to the home front, perpetuated by Mothers, knowingly or unknowingly. Therefore, this paper explores the role of mothers to an age long suffering and untold horrors oppression of the Girl-Child in the home. This is wholly due to intimate closeness to the mother figure which tend to reflect, the kind of up-bringing that she dishes out to her girl-child or female children under her care. It is therefore on this ground, this paper is anchored to unravel the oppression of the Girl Child in the homes.
Sustainable Use of Technology in Teaching: A Principled Approach
Author: Karanfil, Talip
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Sustainability,Technology Uses in Education,Computer Assisted Instruction,Active Learning,Educational Environment,Learning Activities,Student Centered Learning,Educational Practices,Student Motivation,Educational Principles,Interviews

The bewildering pace of change in technology has had a polarizing effect on the teaching profession. Teachers tend to cope in two ways, either by finding the least invasive ways to use technology without interfering with their standard mode of practice, or by embracing technology at every step and turn in new and innovative ways. The former does a disservice to students, but the latter is unsustainable. This research explores the sustainability of using technology in teaching and puts forward principles and guidelines to determine the most effective technology to use in the most sustainable fashion. In this framework, the onus is put on students to complete active learning projects in and outside the classroom. The resulting learning environment and the learning activities employed in the classroom are investigated in this study. Data were collected via field notes, student interviews, researcher journal entries, and student reflections. The findings of this research indicate that a principled approach to the sustainable use of technology in teaching fosters a student-centered orientation which raises student motivation, reduces the affective filter and builds confidence without placing undue pressure on the teacher or on limited educational resources.
The Impact of Using Email on Improving the Writing Skills among Iranian Students
Author: Janfaza, Abusaied
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Writing Skills,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,College Students,Randomized Controlled Trials,Comparative Analysis,Electronic Mail,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Pretests Posttests,Computer Mediated Communication,Conventional Instruction

The need for the application of technology in education has been increased. One of the new approaches in technology is using email for learning a second or a foreign language. The present study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using email in improving writing skills among Iranian EFL students. The participants of the study were 42 pre-intermediate Iranian EFL students in an English language institute in Shiraz, Iran. The participants were randomly assigned into an experimental and a control group. Each group consisted of 21 participants. The treatment continued for three weeks and 3 sessions a week. The students in the experimental group used email for sending their assignments. These students were in contact with their teacher via email and asked writing questions. In contrast, the students in the control group taught writing without using the computer in traditional way. To be sure of homogeneity of the participants, a pre-test was administered before the treatment. After three weeks treatment, a post-test was administered to check the students' improvement in writing. The findings revealed that the students in in the experimental group performed significantly better than the students in the control group.
Malaysian University Students' Attitudes towards Six Varieties of Accented Speech in English
Author: Ahmed, Zainab Thamer
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,English (Second Language),Speech Communication,Dialects,Pronunciation,Language Variation,Dialect Studies,Native Speakers,Second Language Learning,Familiarity,Language Attitudes,English Language Learners,College Students,Standard Spoken Usage,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance

Previous language attitude studies indicated that in many countries all over the world, English language learners perceived native accents, either American or British, more positively than the non-native accents such as the Japanese, Korean, and Austrian accents. However, in Malaysia it is still unclear which accent Malaysian learners of English tend to perceive more positively (Pillai 2009). The verbal-guise technique and accent recognition item were adopted as indirect and direct instruments in gathering data to obtain data to clarify the inquiry. The sample includes 120 Malaysian university students and they were immersed in several speech accent situations to elicit feedback on their perceptions. Essentially two research questions are addressed: (1) What are Malaysian university students' attitudes toward native and non-native English accents?; and (2) How familiar are students with accents? The results indicated that the students had a bias towards in-group accent, meaning that they evaluated non-native lecturers' accents more positively. These results supported the &quot;social identity theory&quot; consistent with many previous language attitude studies of this nature. The Malaysian students were seen to be able to distinguish between native and non-native accents although there was much confusion between British and American accents.
ESL Students' Perceptions of the Use of Higher Order Thinking Skills in English Language Writing
Author: Ganapathy, Malini
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Thinking Skills,Student Attitudes,Writing (Composition),English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Secondary School Students,Student Projects,Cooperative Learning,Focus Groups,Interviews,Active Learning,Personal Autonomy,Writing Improvement,Student Research,Critical Thinking,Taxonomy,Foreign Countries,Case Studies

The transformation of the education curriculum in the Malaysia Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013-2025 focuses on the Higher Order Thinking (HOT) concept which aims to produce knowledgeable students who are critical and creative in their thinking and can compete at the international level. HOT skills encourage students to apply, analyse, evaluate and think creatively in and outside the classroom. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the impact of using HOT skills in a secondary ESL writing classroom. A total of 120 Form Two ESL students from three intact classes participated in this study. The students experienced project and group-based work both independently and collaboratively in groups during their writing lessons. The findings from the focus group interviews revealed the following student perceptions: felt engaged in active learning, experienced learner autonomy, developed their writing, researching and personal skills. The implications of this study suggest that using HOT skills in ESL writing lessons facilitate students' writing ability and interest and it is recommended that HOT skills be explicitly infused in the teaching and learning of writing activities in ESL classrooms.