ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Ghanaian EFL Teachers Working in Asia: Benefits and Implications for English Teachers Working Overseas
Author: Treve, Mark
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Literacy Education,Foreign Nationals,Foreign Countries,Overseas Employment,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Role,Teacher Salaries,Teaching Conditions,Cultural Differences,Barriers,Preferences,Global Approach,Native Speakers,Teacher Characteristics,Language Attitudes

The present study explores teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Asia, their attitudes toward teaching English, the roles of teaching the English language, motivations, benefits, implications, and the reason they are highly recognized in non-English speaking countries. The researcher applied the qualitative method through semi-structured interviews with (n=4) Ghanaian teachers working in three countries in Asia as EFL instructors; their strengths and weaknesses were investigated. The result of semi-structured interviews revealed that Ghanaian teachers' primary role in Asia is to teach English and literacy skills. Moreover, the reasons they chose to work in Asia are higher salaries and better working conditions. Their inability to speak the local language and culture diversity were their weaknesses. Native and Non-native English teachers' preferences, which directly/indirectly affect English teaching, are discussed. The respondents' positive attitude toward English teaching overseas is also investigated and presented. This empirical study revealed the globalization of English in the 21st century.
Integration of Technology among Saudi EFL Teachers
Author: Almalki, Amal
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Technology Integration,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Age Differences,Technological Literacy,Teacher Attitudes,Correlation

In the field of education, technology is currently considered a new trend. This study aims to examine the factors that affect the integration of new technologies in EFL classrooms. Factors considered include teacher's age, teacher's level of technological proficiency, and teacher's perception of technology. To achieve this, the study involved a questionnaire consisting of 21 items and a total of 38 Saudi EFL teachers participated in it. The results indicate that there is no significant relationship between teacher age and technology integration. However, both teachers' level of proficiency in technology and teacher's perception of technology were significantly related to technology integration in Saudi EFL classrooms.
Language-Driven CLIL: Developing Written Production at the Secondary School Level
Author: Chumbay, Julio
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Bilingual Education,Course Content,Interdisciplinary Approach,Teaching Methods,Language Tests,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Pretests Posttests,Foreign Countries,Syntax,Comparative Analysis,Intervention,High School Seniors,Student Attitudes,Preferences,History Instruction,Biology,Spanish,Literature,Writing Skills,Taxonomy,Writing Instruction,Outcomes of Education

This research study analyzes the effect the implementation of language-driven CLIL has on senior learners from Manuel J. Calle High School in Cuenca, Ecuador in relation to the development of written production in terms of Syntax, Content, Communicative Achievement, Organization, and Language compared to a non-language-driven CLIL classroom. There were 40 participants in the experimental group, and 38 participants in the control group. Learners from the experimental group received a condensed 35-hour intervention using CLIL. This study features an exploratory, mixed-method, and quasi-experimental research design. To collect qualitative data, an open-ended questionnaire was administered to explore the subjects learners preferred to study in a language-driven CLIL classroom. To collect quantitative data, a Pre and Post-Test based on the writing section of Cambridge Objective Primary English Test was administered. The data was analyzed through the Independent T-Test and Paired-T-Test to determine if there was a statistically significant difference present between the language-driven CLIL classroom and the non-language-driven CLIL classroom. The data was calculated through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). A survey was administered to collect data on learners' perceptions about CLIL and then analyzed statistically. Results indicated that learners preferred to study History, Biology, and Spanish Language and Literature. Results also demonstrated that the experimental group also demonstrated improvement in all the examined parameters when compared to the control group. However, when results from both groups are compared, there is only a statistical improvement in Organization and Syntax.
Characteristics of the Project-Based Teamwork in the Case of Developing a Smart Application in a Digital Educational Environment
Author: Soboleva, Elena V.
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Active Learning,Student Projects,Teamwork,Computer System Design,Computer Software,Instructional Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,College Students,Skill Development,21st Century Skills,Handheld Devices,Programming

The study is aimed at solving a problem generated by the necessity to change the organizational forms of digital learning to prepare graduates who meet the requirements of today's labor market; who are equipped with teamwork skills and skills of project-management under uncertainty which are especially relevant nowadays. The purpose of the study is to provide a theoretical foundation for and experimentally verify the effectiveness of involving students in project teamwork on designing smart applications by means of modern digital technologies; project teamwork activities allow developing the skills and abilities characteristic of a strong research culture necessary for making future discoveries in science and technology. The research methods are the analysis and generalization of psychological and pedagogical literature, of development strategies and education theories; mathematical methods of statistics, psychodiagnostics and survey methods. The pedagogical experiment is illustrated by the example of assessing the development of teamwork skills, project management skills, and programming skills which form the basis for professional self-realization of graduates. The study results. The study specifies the concepts of the ability to work in a team and smart application in the context of training professionals for digital economy. The didactic potential of project team work in the sphere of self-realization of graduates is described. The authors reveal the characteristics, principles, and stages of team work on the project aimed at designing a smart application. They offer their recommendations regarding the process of planning and organizing team activities, specifying the skills and abilities necessary to help a person succeed in today's digital society and to get a profession which is in demand on the labor market. The authors draw a conclusion that project teamwork meets the requirements of digital education and contributes to successful professional self-realization of university graduates if it is well designed, accurately planned, and monitored by the educator to the extent necessary.
Co-Creation of Learning: A Concept Analysis
Author: Kaminskiene, Lina
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cooperative Learning,Cooperation,Partnerships in Education,Teacher Role,Student Role,Power Structure,Interaction,Student Participation,Communities of Practice,Metacognition,Participative Decision Making,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Formative Evaluation,Transformative Learning,Values

This paper presents the results of the concept analysis of co-creation of learning and discusses how this concept is applied in the educational context. The concept co-creation of learning is a border concept, which is increasingly used in diverse areas, however, there is a lack of a current theory regarding the subject in the existing educational literature. The objective of the concept analysis was to make a dissection of the concept of co-creation of learning into simpler elements to promote clarity while providing mutual understanding within education by giving the particular concept a specific meaning. The concept analysis reflects the situation in contemporary education when learning becomes a co-creative practice and is based on partnership and collaboration, changing roles of teachers and students; it takes place at different stages of curriculum implementation. The article discussed the defined key attributes of the concept co-creation of learning, which are linked to collaborative process, collaborative output, transformative interaction and teacher position, learner's agency, new space for learning, self-authorship, learning community and partnership in learning, metacognitive practices and value co-creation. The research revealed that co-creation of learning can be successfully enhanced and supported by relevant and creative pedagogical strategies. They include generative dialogue, negotiation, collaborative work, participatory design model and others. Non-hierarchical relationships, flexible curriculum and scaffolding practices, formative assessment were identified as the antecedents for co-creation of learning to emerge while such factors as added value, increased learning ownership, better engagement in the learning process and learners' empowerment were identified as the consequences of co-creation of learning.
Comparing Child Laborers and Not-Working Children: Subjective Well-Being, Engagement and Motivation to Study
Author: Eryilmaz, Ali
Date: 2020-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Child Labor,Child Welfare,Learner Engagement,Males,Secondary School Students,Student School Relationship,Student Motivation,Foreign Countries,Low Income Students,Early Adolescents,Grade 7,Grade 8,Part Time Employment

The aim of this study is to compare children who are child laborers and those not working in terms of subjective well-being, engagement and motivation, and levels of liking school. The study group consisted of 120 male students (60 students were child laborers; the other students did not work) in two secondary schools. In this study, the motivation to study scale, the class engagement scale, and the subjective well-being scale were used. The Mann Whitney-U Test and Kruskal Wallis Variance Analysis Test were used to analyze the data. In this study, differences were found between the child labor group and non-working groups of students in terms of motivation to study, engagement in class and subjective well-being. With respect to child labor, it was found that as the liking of school increased, the subjective well-being, class engagement and motivation to study levels increased. Conversely, with respect to not-working children, it was found that as the liking of school, class engagement and motivation to study levels increased.
Computerized School Selection and Placement System in Ghana: Challenges and the Way Forward
Author: Babah, Pearl Adiza
Date: 2020-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Placement,Parent Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Selective Admission,Admission (School),Information Systems,School Choice,Fees,Junior High School Students,High School Students,Cheating,Educational Policy,Ethics,Institutional Characteristics,Foreign Countries,Technical Education,Vocational Schools

The purpose of the paper is to review literature on the challenges and the way forward of the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) in Ghana. Literature informs us that the key challenge to the Computerized School Selection and Placement System was the human factor in terms of refusal of parents and students to accept placement into other schools apart from their chosen high endowed schools. It is also found from the literature of this paper that, there was the challenge of some parents not being able to pay the school fees for their wards who have been placed in private schools due to the high cost of private schools' fees. Methodologically, this paper relied primarily on secondary sources of information such as online literatures on computerized school selection, archives, some excerpts from the daily graphic among others. Parents, Headteachers of Junior High Schools and Senior High Schools, students, policy makers and stakeholders in education were the focus in this study. Finally, the review established that the CSSPS has become fertile grounds for bribery and corruption in our dear country Ghana. From the review, it is therefore recommended that there is the need to revisit the policy of developing some of the senior high schools in each region as model schools, with all the modern facilities required in a standard second cycle school. Also, we recommend that Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ghana Education Service (GES) should provide inputs in time to the least endowed schools and also upgrade the infrastructural facilities in the least endowed schools to make them attractive to students so as to reduce pressure on the highly endowed schools. Finally, we encourage stakeholders to get on board for us to see how best we could evaluate and modify the system for the betterment of the children and our nation.
Examining the Plays That Preschool Children Prefer and the Characteristics Shaping Them Using Draw and Tell Technique
Author: Bay, Dondu Neslihan
Date: 2020-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preschool Education,Child Development,Play,Preferences,Student Attitudes,Games,Interpersonal Relationship,Physical Activities,Imagination,Cultural Influences,Playgrounds,Toys

In this study, the play preferences of 80 five-year-old children, 40 girls and 40 boys, from four schools in Turkey and the characteristics that shape their preferred plays were examined. The research was designed by descriptive method, which is one of the qualitative research patterns, and the data were collected using draw-and-tell technique. Crayons and drawing papers were distributed to the children participating in the study and they were asked to draw a play they wanted to play. During the drawing, the children were interviewed by asking questions. Thematic analysis method was used in the study; open coding was performed to group the drawings and interview records of the children under the themes and sub-themes. As a result of thematic analysis, five main themes were created regarding the plays preferred by children and how and where they prefer to play them. The results showed that all children preferred open-ended plays, they mostly prefer modern plays (50%) (type of play), playing with friends (44%) (social connection), dynamic plays (69%) (physical function), indoors plays (54%) (playground) and to use ready-made toys (42%) (toys used).
Naturally Occurring Requests in Turkish: A Case from an Academic Context
Author: Çetinavci, Ugur Recep
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Turkish,Speech Acts,Undergraduate Students,Pragmatics,Gender Differences,Preferences,Language Processing,Academic Language,Discourse Analysis,Language Styles,Foreign Countries,Grammar,Phrase Structure

In terms of their directness and modification strategies, this study investigated how undergraduate speakers of Turkish formulate their naturally occurring requests in an academic context, in which they request things from an academic in his office. After a 4-year data collection period, the researcher analyzed 395 of the requests (hand-recorded as immediate field notes) made to him. The findings on levels of directness revealed that the strongest tendency is towards conventionally indirect strategies, while the female tendency towards them is even clearer. The dominance of conventional indirectness is in parallel also with the degree of imposition of the requests. 'Zero marking' is what dominates the findings on internal modification strategies, while some preferences, such as unfinished sentences, could suggest language or context-specific results. In light of these descriptive findings on a part of everyday language in academia, the study could in practical terms help learners and teachers of Turkish and Turkish learners/teachers of English or any other language as well. Moreover, it could contribute to the efforts towards handling the methodological concerns in pragmatics research about the extent to which elicited data can represent what people actually say in natural conversation.
&apos;Please&apos; as an Impoliteness Marker in English Discourse
Author: Heidari Darani, Laya
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pragmatics,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Native Speakers,Interpersonal Communication,Speech Acts,Contrastive Linguistics,Computational Linguistics,Undergraduate Students,Language Usage,Indo European Languages

This study explored how Iranian EFL learners and native English speakers conceptualized the impolite use of &quot;please&quot; in interaction. Moreover, attempts were made to examine whether Iranian EFL learners and native English speakers differ in using the impolite version of please in their communications. To this end, informal conversations of 20 Iranian EFL learners in pairs and small groups were recorded and transcribed. The impolite version of &quot;please&quot; in these conversations was compared with similar data from the Bergen Corpus of London Teenage Language (COLT). According to results, several functions of the 'impolite' &quot;please&quot; were found among Iranian EFL learners and native English speakers. Firstly, &quot;please&quot; was used to establish or confirm harmonious relationships between the speakers; it was used as rapport-strengthening impoliteness marker. Secondly, 'mock impoliteness' was conceptualized to bear positive meaning since it was interpreted as an amusing or entertaining remark. In teenagers' circles, entertainment skills whereby impolite &quot;please&quot; was employed were highly valued. Thirdly, participants adhered to 'repetition', 'reformulation', and 'escalation' in their interactions to show their creative impoliteness. Finally, it was concluded that certain functions of the impolite &quot;please&quot; were shared between the Iranian EFL learners and native English speakers, while some functions were not shared between these two groups.
Perfectionism and Writing Performance of Chinese EFL College Learners
Author: Lin, Lijing
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Writing Achievement,Correlation,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Persuasive Discourse,Difficulty Level,College Second Language Programs,Expectation,Criticism,Language Proficiency,Parent Child Relationship,Psychological Characteristics,Anxiety,Behavior Standards

In the second language acquisition domain, researchers have devoted tremendous efforts to studying the relationship between L2 learning and some socio-affective factors, such as anxiety, motivation, etc. However, little research has been done to examine whether and how perfectionism, a psychological trait, affects L2 learning and L2 performance. The present study aims to fill this gap and investigate the relationship between the level of perfectionism and L2 performance among Chinese EFL college learners. Two specific questions are raised: (1) What is the relationship between perfectionism and L2 writing performance in terms of linguistic complexity, accuracy, and fluency? (2) What is the relationship between the six dimensions of perfectionism (Concern over Mistakes, Personal Standards, Parental Expectations, Parental Criticism, Doubts about Actions, Organization) and L2 writing performance in terms of linguistic complexity, accuracy, and fluency? To answer these questions, forty second-year students from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies majoring in English participated in the present study. The participants were required to compose a piece of English argumentative writing on the online system and then complete a 35-item Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale online immediately. The collected data were then processed and analyzed through SPSS (v. 17). The results of the analysis revealed that: (1) one of the measures of syntactic complexity has a significant negative relationship with perfectionism; (2) Personal Standards, one of the six dimensions of perfectionism, has a significant negative relationship with the participants' L2 writing performance; and (3) both Parental Expectations and Parental Criticism are found negatively correlated with the fluency aspect of the writing performance and the relationships have a significant effect. The implications of the findings are suggested for pedagogy and L2 learning.
Pragmatics in Teacher Talk: The Case of Pre-Primary Education
Author: Barón, Júlia
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pragmatics,Preschool Education,Romance Languages,Native Language,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Proficiency,Language Usage,Recall (Psychology),Teacher Attitudes,Preschool Teachers,Video Technology,Speech Acts,Teaching Methods,Socialization,Linguistic Input,English,Classroom Communication

This study aims to explore how the speech act of requesting is performed in Catalan (L1), English (L1) and EFL classrooms by pre-primary teachers. The study examines transcripts of 40-minute video-recorded lessons (six in Catalan/L1, six in English/FL, and three in English/L1) collected in several pre-primary schools in Catalonia, Spain. Recall interviews with the teachers were also conducted in order to examine their perceptions of their pragmatic performances in the classroom. Results show that teachers predominantly use imperatives in the three groups (Catalan L1, English L1 and EFL); however, a wider variety of requesting strategies is used in the L1 lessons. The study concludes with reflections on the pedagogical implications of the findings and calls for the need to raise teachers' awareness about the effect their language use might have on the development of learners' pragmatic competence both in the L1 and the foreign language.
EFL Students&apos; Coherence Skill in Writing: A Case Study of Third Year Students of Bachelors in English Language
Author: RahmtAllah, Enas Abdelwahab Eltom
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Writing Skills,Undergraduate Students,Connected Discourse,Rhetoric,Essays,Females,Foreign Countries,Writing (Composition)

Writing is considered an essential learning tool for all content areas. However, to master and have excellent writing skills for EFL students of undergraduate programs is challenging. Cohesion and coherence are both crucial textual elements to master writing. The present study examined coherence in English essays written by 46 female Saudi EFL third year at Unaizah College of Sciences and Arts, Qassim University. Examination of essays by the subject group designed to answer the research question. 1.) To what extent are EFL students competent in achieving coherence in writing skills? Each student was asked to write two essays (a writing test that included two essay questions). The data were analyzed through SPSS. The study results demonstrated that learners are not competent in achieving coherence in their writing tasks. In light of these results, recommendations are presented. The results also recommend further studies to investigate coherence and action research to improve this crucial skill among undergraduate Saudi EFL learners.