ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
EFL Teaching and Learning at a Vietnamese University: What Do Teachers Say?
Author: Nguyen, Hong Thi
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,College Faculty,Semi Structured Interviews,Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Educational Facilities,Educational Resources,Barriers,Time,Curriculum,Tests,Language Skills,Class Size,Student Motivation,Course Descriptions,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires,Observation,Teacher Background,Educational Attainment

This paper reports part of a study that documents the factors affecting the efficacy of teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Vietnamese higher education from the teachers' perspectives. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve EFL teachers at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH), Vietnam. The study explored both positive factors and negative factors affecting teaching quality. The findings show that an updated syllabus, modern teaching methods, and adequate facilities and equipment are positive factors identified by the teachers. Nevertheless, there are still many negative factors hindering the efficacy of English teaching and learning, including: insufficient time for English subjects; lack of speaking component in tests and examinations; unequal students' English abilities; large class sizes; limited support from university leaders; and students' limited efforts and motivation. The teachers were also given the opportunity to express their expectations about an ideal EFL training program, which included: a balance between financial profit and education quality; more independence for teachers and students in teaching and learning; placement tests; good and enthusiastic teachers; well-equipped classrooms; small class sizes, and student autonomy.
Investigation of Technological University Students' Use of Metacognitive Reading Strategies in First and Second Languages
Author: Jou, Yi-Jiun
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Technical Education,Metacognition,Reading Strategies,Native Language,Native Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Questionnaires,Academic Discourse,Transfer of Training,Freshman Composition,College Freshmen,Statistical Analysis,English,Chinese,Learning Motivation

Reading, whether the reader's First language, L1 or Second language, L2, is a cognitive enterprise, and it can be treated as a result of the interaction among the reader, the text, and the context. Metacognitive strategies refer to the behaviours applied by learners to plan, arrange, and evaluate their learning. This study aimed to investigate college students' use of metacognitive reading strategies in their first language (Chinese) and second language (English) while reading academic materials. The participants were technological university students in southern Taiwan. The Metacognitive Reading Strategies Questionnaire (MRSQ) was applied to investigate learners' use of metacognitive reading strategies in terms of analytic reading strategies and pragmatic reading Strategies in L1 and L2 reading. The results revealed that students used both analytic strategies and pragmatic strategies more frequently when they read L1 rather than L2 in academic articles. Though students tend to transfer their metacognitive reading strategies from L1 to L2, several strategies still showed significant differences in usage between reading L1 and L2. It hopes to shed light on the importance of Metacognitive reading strategies in language learning, and guide language learners in applying the strategies wisely and effectively.
Perception and Production of Thai Learners on English Prepositions
Author: Ruangjaroon, Sugunya
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Form Classes (Languages),Second Language Learning,Thai,Semantics,Graduate Students,Correlation,Grammar,Models

In this paper, I adopt Best's (2001) Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM) to account for how Thai learners acquire English prepositions in prepositional phrases and propose the ranking order of English preposition acquisition into three different categories. The ranking is as follows: Category A is a one-to-one semantic mapping between English and Thai prepositions, therefore ranked first suggesting that they would be the easiest to be acquired. Category B is a one-to-many semantic mapping between English and Thai prepositions. Acquisition of Category B should be more difficult than Category A because one English preposition can have more than one correspondence in Thai. Category C is one-to-null mapping between English and Thai prepositions. A preposition that exists in one language can be null in another language. Category C would rank the lowest in terms of acquisition. The participants consisted of 20 graduate students in the MA program at a university in Bangkok. They were placed into medium (8-10) and low (6-7) proficiency levels of English by a placement test called the Language and Instructor System (ELLIS) administered via computer. The two tests used in this study were a grammatical judgment test for English prepositions and a writing test. The two tests were exactly parallel in each item. The correlation between their awareness in spotting incorrect prepositions and the ability to use correct ones were measured using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The results were consistent with the ranking proposed here. It showed that L2 Thai acquirers of English prepositions were able to judge grammatical and ungrammatical sentences correctly with respect to the ranking A&gt;&gt;B&gt;&gt;C. However, no significant difference of the correlation between perception and production in all categories was found. The results further revealed that both medium and low proficient participants were able to perceive and produce dependent prepositions more accurately than independent prepositions.
Efficacy of a Classroom Integrated Intervention of Phonological Awareness and Word Recognition in &quot;Double-Deficit Children&quot; Learning a Regular Orthography
Author: Mayer, Andreas
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Phonological Awareness,Word Recognition,Naming,Elementary School Students,Grade 1,At Risk Students,Dyslexia,Reading Difficulties,Intervention,German,Beginning Reading,Beginning Writing,Inclusion,Writing Difficulties,Orthographic Symbols,Training,Educational Benefits,Reading Improvement,Writing Improvement,Statistical Analysis,Multiple Regression Analysis,Predictor Variables

This study analysed the effects of a classroom intervention focusing on phonological awareness and/or automatized word recognition in children with a deficit in the domains of phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming (&quot;double deficit&quot;). According to the double-deficit hypothesis (Wolf &amp; Bowers, 1999), these children belong to the group who show the most pronounced difficulties when learning how to read and write. Our results suggest that children with a double deficit are at great risk of developing dyslexia unless they receive specific support. Moreover, the results of the intervention study are the first to show how German speaking children with a double deficit can be adequately supported within the framework of standard beginners' reading and writing lessons in inclusive classrooms so that impending difficulties in the acquisition of written language can be successfully prevented. The support measures focus on a training of phonological awareness and automatized processing of sublexical orthographic units. However, potential modifications of the training are currently being discussed since not all children in the training groups were able to benefit satisfactorily.
Studies on Written Corrective Feedback: Theoretical Perspectives, Empirical Evidence, and Future Directions
Author: Wang, Ting
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Error Correction,Feedback (Response),Second Language Learning,Writing (Composition),Second Language Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Educational Research

The role of written corrective feedback (WCF) in the process of acquiring a second language (L2) has been an issue of considerable controversies over past decades. This article intends to provide a critical review of the increasing number of WCF studies thus far and to inspire new perspectives for future research. It starts by briefly tracing the theoretical positions on the role of WCF in L2 instruction. Subsequently, a synthesis of empirical arguments with respect to the effectiveness of WCF, the relative merits of various WCF options, and the amenability of different error categories to WCF are presented. Based on all the evidence, two common limitations: the focus on form-oriented WCF options and the narrow range of target errors are critically discussed in the final part. It concludes by suggesting that an integration between such learning enhancing variables as micro context and written feedback, and that an extension of target structure from learners' rule-governed errors to their non rule-governed errors should be investigated in future WCF studies so that fresh insights for WCF research could be achieved on one hand and pedagogical implications for L2 classroom instruction could be offered on the other.
Deconstructing Attitudes towards Plagiarism of Japanese Undergraduates in EFL Academic Writing Classes
Author: Teeter, Jennifer
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,College Students,Science Instruction,Majors (Students),Student Attitudes,Plagiarism,English (Second Language),Academic Discourse,Writing Instruction,Second Language Instruction,Cultural Influences,Social Influences,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Writing Assignments,Coding

In this study, a qualitative analysis of 276 first-year Japanese university science major responses to plagiarism to deconstruct prevailing generalizations regarding the incidence of plagiarism by Japanese university students. These students were enrolled in a compulsory yearlong English academic writing course. While utilizing a contextualized incident, rather than generalized statements, to gain a more thorough understanding of students' perceptions of plagiarism, this study also seeks to address the current imbalances in English-language analyses on plagiarism in Japan which fail to incorporate Japanese-language sources and studies. In contrast to previous research based on hypotheses of cultural conditioning which assume students are ambivalent towards plagiarism, the students surveyed displayed a complex awareness of the educational and societal issues that frame occurrences of plagiarism and a desire to receive effective training in academic writing techniques, similar to their native English-speaking counterparts. Finally, the paper makes suggestions for pedagogy that empowers students with tools to critically navigate the dominant academic world.
A Critical Discourse Analysis of ELT Materials in Gender Representation: A Comparison of &quot;Summit&quot; and &quot;Top Notch&quot;
Author: Samadikhah, Mehran
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Discourse Analysis,English (Second Language),Textbooks,Comparative Analysis,Sex,Ideology,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Check Lists

In spite of the crucial importance of textbooks, their increasing development day by day, and their significant effects on saving time, energy, and budgets, only few studies have been done on textbooks evaluation from a critical discourse analysis perspective. This study aimed to analyze and compare the gender representation in &quot;Top Notch&quot; and &quot;Summit&quot; series in order to find out if the gender representation is equally balanced in these two textbooks. The study, thus, analyzed the series in terms of nine major aspects of gender: female and male's characters, female and male's pictorial representations, female and male's titles, activities, and firstness of female and male in the mixed gender dialogues. To that end, Fairclough's (1989, 2001) models were adopted in order to detect the ideology behind these textbooks. The findings of study indicated that, in most cases, gender representation is more balanced in &quot;Top Notch&quot; series than in &quot;Summit&quot; series. The results of this comparative research would also help us gain a better understanding of textbooks currently used in Iranian language institutes.
Training English Language Pre-Service Teachers Using a Team Based Learning Approach
Author: Samad, Arshad Abd
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Cooperative Learning,Group Dynamics,Preservice Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,English Teachers,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Trainees,Diaries,Content Analysis,Microteaching,Student Teacher Evaluation,Student Teacher Attitudes,Scores,Positive Attitudes,Program Implementation,Questionnaires

Team Based Learning which focuses on enhancing positive group dynamics is a relatively popular instructional approach in several disciplines such as Health Sciences and Business but has yet to gain popularity in Education. This paper examines the use of Team Based Learning in teacher training as well as the receptiveness towards the approach as indicated by a group of Teaching English as a Second Language teacher trainee. The trainees were asked to write diaries regarding their experiences working in a team during a course for a semester which were then collected in three cycles throughout the semester. Entries were analysed in terms of whether there were positive, negative or neutral reference to working in teams. All members of a team were also required to participate in individual micro teaching sessions for which they were evaluated. Findings indicate that Team Based Learning has a potential role in teacher training as positive entries outnumbered negative entries. Additionally, teams with high average micro teaching scores also had more positive diary entries.
EFL Oral Communication Teaching Practices: A Close Look at University Teachers and A2 Students' Perspectives in Thailand and a Critical Eye from Serbia
Author: Bruner, David Allen
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Speech Communication,Speech Instruction,College Students,College Faculty,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Oral English,Heterogeneous Grouping,Group Activities,Class Size,Role Playing,College Instruction,Surveys,Undergraduate Students

This paper aimed to reexamine current EFL oral communication teaching practices from the perspectives of teachers and A2 students at two universities, namely Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Thailand and University of Novi Sad (UNS), Serbia. The main objectives were: (1) to analyze current practices from the perspectives of teachers and students, (2) to identify real problems encountered by teachers and students attempting to embrace Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) to improve oral English communication, and (3) propose practical solutions for classroom practices to improve the majority of students' oral proficiency from the elementary level. The findings were that oral English communication classes at PSU continue to embrace CLT and that the majority of Thai A2 students were frequently engaged in group activities rather than in individual and teacher-centered tasks. There was reliance on unrealistic, scripted role plays. Unlike the Serbian students, Thai students apparently needed to acquire more independent skills, become less passive learners, and interact more spontaneously in the target language. Other problems at PSU included mixed ability classes. Recommendations are placement tests, choices of more advanced elective courses, rigorous enforcement of upper enrollment limit, a balance between group and individual communicative tasks, and replacement of scripted with non-scripted role plays.
An Analysis on Code-Switching in &quot;Fortress Besieged&quot; from the Perspective of Register Theory
Author: Wang, Meihua
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Code Switching (Language),Novels,Content Analysis,Twentieth Century Literature,World Literature,Linguistic Theory

Code-switching is a common yet complicated phenomenon. With the rapid development of cross cultural communication, the contact between language and language varieties become all the more frequent. With the appearance of more and more bilingual and multilingual communities, code-switching becomes a linguistic phenomenon of significant academic concern in the field of linguistics. This paper sets out to analyze code-switching in Ch'ien Chung-shu's famous work--&quot;Fortress Besieged&quot;. In this novel, some characters frequently engaged in code-switching in their conversation. However, among differing views on the merits of this language phenomenon, few studied it from the register perspective. In this light, the present study adopts the register theory to analyze code-switching in &quot;Fortress Besieged&quot;. The core of this study is to make a detailed analysis of the impact of field, tenor and mode upon the occurrence of code-switching in this novel. Through an investigation of code-switching employed in this work, it shows that code-switching in this novel is subject to the influence of the three factors of register, field, tenor and mode. These three variables of register have a restrictive impact on the occurrence of the switched codes based on different situations in &quot;Fortress Besieged&quot;. Throughout an analysis of code-switching in &quot;Fortress Besieged&quot;, the study intends to arouse language users' awareness of this linguistic phenomenon so that they can apply it properly in their communication.
Beyond the Classroom Walls: Edmodo in Saudi Secondary School EFL Instruction, Attitudes and Challenges
Author: Al-Kathiri, Fatimah
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Secondary School Students,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Experimental Groups,Foreign Countries,Females,Teaching Methods,Control Groups,Positive Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Web 2.0 Technologies,Questionnaires,Single Sex Classes,Technology Integration,Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,Information Technology,Management Systems,Correlation,Quasiexperimental Design,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis

This paper investigates the prospects of integrating Edmodo into Saudi EFL female secondary school instruction. It concentrates on students' perceptions and challenges regarding Edmodo use and its effect on their attitudes towards EFL learning. The 42 participants were divided into two groups. The experimental group received traditional teaching plus a six-week daily interaction via Edmodo. The control group received traditional teaching only. Findings of the post-treatment questionnaire show that students' perceptions towards Edmodo were highly positive and that although there were considerable challenges to its integration, it appeared to have excellent potential for generating more positive attitudes towards EFL learning.
An Investigation of Preservice English Teachers' Perceptions of Mobile Assisted Language Learning
Author: Oz, Huseyin
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teachers,Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Telecommunications,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Student Attitudes,Gender Differences,Age Differences,Grade Point Average,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Inference,Interviews,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Instructional Program Divisions,Predictor Variables,Multivariate Analysis

This study aimed to investigate preservice English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' perceptions about mobile assisted language learning (MALL) and find out whether their perceptions differed by gender, grade level and grade point average (GPA). The study also sought to determine whether gender, grade level and GPA variables would predict their perceptions of MALL. A total of 201 participants enrolled in an EFL teacher education department at a major state university participated in the study and completed the &quot;Mobile Learning Perception Scale.&quot; Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (means and frequencies, and percentage) and inferential statistics (MANOVA and regression analysis). Findings revealed that overall the participants had high levels of perceptions about MALL, and that gender, grade level and GPA differences moderated the effects of the measured constructs on their perceptions of MALL. All the interviewees expressed their positive attitudes towards using mobile devices in language instruction. The results of multivariate tests indicated a significant main effect for their gender and their perceptions, as well as an interaction effect between gender and GPA. Findings also demonstrated that GPA and gender were the strongest predictors of participants' perceptions about MALL.
Research Article Abstracts in Two Subdisciplines of Business--Move Structure and Hedging between Management and Marketing
Author: Li, Qian
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Documentation,Journal Articles,Business,Business Administration,Marketing,Comparative Analysis,Text Structure

The importance of RA abstracts lies in their influence on the readers' decision about whether the accompanying article is worth reading. A number of studies have investigated the move structure of abstracts and have generated several influential models. However, little research has been conducted on subdisciplinary variations in move structure of abstracts. Additionally, previous studies have investigated independently either the move structure or the hedging use of academic writings. The attempt of the integration of the both have been lacking yet. Therefore, this study reports the analysis of move structure and hedging use in Management and Marketing abstracts. Comparative analysis was also conducted to investigate sudisciplinary variations in both move structure and hedging use between the two subdisciplines in the field of Business. In total, sixty-four research articles abstracts published in 2012 were randomly selected form eight leading journals in two subdisciplines. Hyland's model (2000) was adopted as analytical framework for move structure analysis, and Wordsmith Tool was used to search hedging in the corpus. Results showed that the move structure of I-P-Pr (Introduction-Purpose-Product) is the most dominant sequences in both Management and Marketing. Regarding the use of hedging, all the five types occurred in both subdisciplines of Business. The findings of this study have also demonstrated the existence of variations in terms of both move structure and the use of hedging in the abstracts between the two subdisciplines. Therefore, pedagogical implications can be proposed that teaching practices should address the variations so as to meet the specific expectations from different particular discourse communities.