ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Performance of Topic Shifting in Inclusive Female Informal Gatherings: A Case Study
Author: Al-Ghathami, Ghada Abdullah
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Interpersonal Communication,Females,Attitudes,Sociolinguistics,Language Usage,Verbal Communication,Interests,Social Influences,College Students

This paper analyzes how topic shifts are performed and perceived in conversations. It investigates the way topic shifts are constructed and sequenced in Saudi female conversations, focusing on the structure of topic shifts along with their discourse markers. It also aims at highlighting the way these topic shifts are observed by participants. This paper is a case study that tries to understand the performance of topic shifts in a recorded conversation with emphasis on the construction, markers and sequences of topics, adding empirical evidence to the overall knowledge related to this issue. It also studies perceptions of Saudi women on topic shifting. Two instruments were used: data recording and analysis, and a four-axis questionnaire. Gathered data was analyzed using interactional sociolinguistics analysis and statistics to arrive at results. The findings of the study indicate that the most frequent shifts of topics occurred after a pause where speakers introduced a new topic. These shifts were performed by using discourse markers such as asking questions, seeking explanations, or telling personal stories. Topic shifts might be violated in informal settings based on relations between participants. Questionnaire results conclude that topic shifts are performed in relation to interest, and motivated by closeness and need. It is recommended that further investigation is carried out considering different social variables and domains of interaction.
The Speech Act of Complimenting as Part of the Ukrainian, Russian and English-Speaking Communities: Ukraine and the USA
Author: Solodka, Anzhelika
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Speech Acts,Cultural Influences,Values,Pragmatics,Second Language Instruction,Cultural Differences,Native Speakers,Language Usage,Russian,English (Second Language),Ukrainian,College Students,College Faculty,Adolescents,Adults,Interpersonal Communication

Compliments as speech acts have the reflection and expression of cultural values. Many of the values reflected through compliments are personal appearance, new acquisitions, possessions, talents and skills. It is especially important in linguistic interaction between people. This research aims to analyze the speech acts of complimenting in Ukrainian and American cultures in order to use them for teaching pragmatics second language (L2) students. Defining the ways of complimenting in Ukrainian, Russian and American English help to avoid misunderstandings and pragmatic failures. This study uses a method of ethnomethodology. Speech acts are studied in their natural contexts. To carry out this research native speakers of English in the United States and native speakers of Russian and Ukrainian from all over Ukraine were interviewed on-line. The analysis was made on the data that included: 445 Russian, 231 Ukrainian and 245 English compliments. Results of this study show how native speakers tend to compliment people: syntactical structure of expressions, cultural lexicon, attributes praised and language context. It has implications for teaching English to Ukrainians and for teaching Russian and Ukrainian to speakers of English. Knowing how to use speech acts allows the speaker to have pragmatic competence. Upon completion of the data analysis on the current study, further information on deeper analysis in terms of semantics and metaphorical language can be provided.
Validity and Reliability Study of the Parent-Child Shared Book Reading Inventory
Author: Tepetas Cengiz, Gülüzar Sule
Date: 2021-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Aloud to Others,Parent Child Relationship,Parent Attitudes,Preschool Children,Emergent Literacy,Reading Skills,Reading Habits,Picture Books,Childrens Literature,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Measures (Individuals),Family Environment,Foreign Countries

This study aimed to adapt the original form of the &quot;Parent-Child Shared Book Reading Survey&quot; developed by Cutler (2020) to Turkish and to test its validity and reliability. During the adaptation process, the survey was translated into Turkish first, and then the expert opinion was sought for validity, followed by back translation. The adapted inventory was finalized after the pilot implementation. The validity study of the Parent-Child Shared Book Reading Inventory included testing the factor analysis assumptions for the following five questionnaires included in the inventory: Reading Skills Beliefs Scale for Shared Book Reading, Parents' Reading and Writing Habits Scale, Parents' Modeling for Reading-Writing Habits Scale, Shared Book Reading Activity Scale and Child's Reading Habits Scale. Then exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was implemented to 332 parents with preschool children. The accuracy of the factor structures revealed by EFA was tested on a second data set with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on 158 parents. The results demonstrated that the Parent-Child Shared Book Reading Inventory is a valid and reliable measurement tool in assessing the quality and characteristic of parent-child shared book reading activities.
A Training Program in the Framework of Rogers&apos; Theory of Blended Learning: A Case of Teachers of Information Technology in Oman
Author: Al Mashikhi, Khalid Muslem
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Program Design,Blended Learning,Learning Theories,Information Technology,Instructional Effectiveness,Elementary School Teachers,Public School Teachers,Achievement Tests,Faculty Development,Independent Study,Foreign Countries,Cognitive Ability,Sustainable Development,Educational Technology,Instructional Innovation,Technological Literacy,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Technology Integration

This study aimed at designing a training program according to Rogers Theory of Blended Learning for the teachers of Information Technology in Oman and studying its effectiveness. The study sample was composed of 40 primary school teachers of Information Technology working in public schools of Dhofar Governorate of Oman during the academic year 2016/2017. The researchers used the achievement test and observation card as a tools of measuring the program effectiveness, study results indicated statistically significant differences with a value of (T) for the difference between the average of dimensional applications of the achievement test and skill performance (51.36-15.45) in Information Technology teachers' practice, which resulted in a value at statistically significant level of (0.001) and the training program was effective, as the profit rate of black was 1.33-1.41 respectively. It is a statistically significant value as it is more than 1.2. The effect of the training program was high in terms of both cognitive achievements and skills. The study recommended using educational models as one of the self-education techniques in Information Technology Teacher Training programs along with the integration of other training styles which are compatible with it by implication, the study suggested to exploit Roger's Theory for education technology innovations and designing other models for, sustainable educational development.
Service-Learning in English as a Second Language Teacher Training Program: Exploring Preservice Teachers&apos; Authentic Learning Experiences
Author: Pazilah, Fetylyana Nor
Date: 2021-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Service Learning,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Preservice Teachers,Preservice Teacher Education,Authentic Learning,Learning Experience,Foreign Countries,Student Experience,Student Attitudes

As the world we live in has become more digitalized, challenges are occurring left and right, especially in the education field. In gaining quality teachers, there is a need to train future educators to have the ability to adapt to the ever-changing technology and global changes. However, pre-service teachers often seem unprepared and unable to adapt to changes. Hence, implementing service-learning in the teacher training program is vital as it provides the opportunity to engage and experience 21st-century real classroom lessons. Service-learning has also been proven to be an effective approach in training pre-service teachers. This paper aims to investigate the perceptions of pre-service teachers toward service-learning in terms of authentic learning experiences. It highlights how the implementation of service-learning approach in learning to teach writing in a second language context facilitates preservice teachers in terms of authentic experience. A qualitative method was conducted to investigate the authentic learning experiences among 54 pre-service teachers in a public university in Malaysia. Data were collected through open-ended questions. Based on this study, the findings showed that the preservice teachers could experience the real-life environment of teaching and learning and applying educational theories learned. They were also able to obtain hands-on experience in interacting with the students and marking their sample essays. It is hoped that future teachers and educational organizations can benefit from understanding the benefits of service-learning in teacher training programs. Future researchers could investigate the challenges of service-learning in teacher training programs.
Strategies of Teaching Writing at Saudi Tertiary-Level Institutions: Reality and Expectations
Author: Alkodimi, Khaled Abkar
Date: 2021-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Writing Instruction,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes

Teaching writing in English is a particularly daunting task for EFL teachers. Much of it concerns teaching accuracy in text production, development and thought expression which is usually not the teachers' stated aim. Thus, teachers' perceptions to the teaching of writing and the actual classroom practices need examination, which is the aim of this study, a prerequisite to recommending pedagogical changes to bridge the gap that exists between educational aims and outcomes so far as the teaching of writing to EFL learners in Saudi tertiary level educational institutions is concerned. The study applies a quantitative approach via a survey conducted with one hundred EFL teachers at Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMBSIU, henceforth), Qassim University and King Khaled University, Saudi Arabia. Results suggest that inadequate English resources and inefficient teaching methods are, in general, the main causes of poor writing skills. Further, the teachers perceive limited lexis, irregular sentences, and orthographical differences with the mother tongue as impediments in the learners' ability to write well in English. The study concludes with some pertinent recommendations to remedy the situation.
A Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Analysis of the Discursive Representation of Immigration in the EU Referendum Debate
Author: Aluthman, Ebtisam Saleh
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Public Policy,Discourse Analysis,Immigration,Computational Linguistics,Phrase Structure,Information Retrieval,Political Attitudes,Electronic Publishing,Social Media,Computer Mediated Communication,Heuristics,Socioeconomic Influences,Immigrants,Language Usage,Foreign Countries,Semantics,Negative Attitudes,Positive Attitudes

This paper presents a critical account of the representation of immigration in the Brexit corpus-- a collective corpus of 108,452,923 words compiled mostly from blogs, tweets, and daily news related to Brexit debate. The study follows the methodological synergy approach proposed by Baker et al. (2008), a heuristic methodological approach that combines methods of discourse analysis and corpus-assisted statistical tools including keyword, collocation, and concordance analysis. Drawing on this methodological synergy approach, the investigation yields significant findings contextualized within the socio-economic-political context of the European Union (EU) leave referendum to trace how the issue of immigration is represented in the discourses of the Remain and Leave campaigns. The frequency results show that immigration is one of the most salient topics in the Brexit corpus. Concordance analysis of the word &quot;immigrants&quot; and collocation investigation of the word &quot;immigration&quot; reveal opposing attitudes toward immigration in the EU referendum debate. The analysis uncovers negative attitudes toward the uncontrolled flow of immigrants from other EU countries and public concerns about immigrants' negative impacts on wages, education, and health services. Other findings reveal positive attitudes toward immigrants emphasizing their positive contributions to the UK economy. The study concludes with an argument of the significant association between the political and socio-economic ideologies of a particular society and the language communicated in its media.
A Gender-Based Investigation of the Perception of English Language Teachers at Saudi Universities Regarding the Factors Influencing Learner Autonomy
Author: Javid, Choudhary Zahid
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Gender Differences,Teacher Attitudes,Positive Attitudes,Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Learning Strategies,Personal Autonomy,Independent Study,Textbooks,Teacher Role,Student Motivation,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries

Learner autonomy has been a focus of attention in the realm of English Language Teaching (ELT) research nowadays and the study in hand is an attempt to investigate learner autonomy in theory and practice from the perspective of English language teachers. It aims to identify gender-based perceptions of English language teachers from a Saudi university regarding the role of the textbooks, study material, support of English language teachers, the students' learning strategies, students' motivation and self-evaluation in enhancing learner autonomy. This empirical survey has involved 30 male and 30 female (n=60) English language teachers from English language center of Taif University, Saudi Arabia to record their insights and views about their perceptions and prospects of these pedagogical constructs in their teaching practices. The participants of the study responded to a 35-point Likert-scale modified questionnaire to generate data. Independent-samples T-test has been run to calculate percentages of their responses as well as to identify any statistically significant gender-based differences. The results revealed that only six items out of the total 35 have shown significant gender-based differences in the perceptions of the participants of the survey. The findings have revealed that the participants of this study bear extremely positive attitudes towards the pedagogical significance of learner autonomy and have exhibited encouraging trends about the implementation of this construct in the classrooms. Recommendations have been forwarded based on the results of this survey.
Applying Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) in EFL Teaching
Author: Azman, Hazita
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Game Based Learning,Computer Games,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Interpersonal Communication,Language Skills,Communication Skills,College Students,Student Empowerment,Problem Solving,Comprehension

This article explores the use of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) as a type of serious games that have English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning potentials. It highlights evidence from a case study which investigated the effects of role-playing in MMOGs on communication behaviours among EFL game players. Additionally, findings from the study elucidate the learning principles of good games that incorporate the dynamics of gaming which induce the language learner to be active generators of information, knowledge and language. Essentially the preliminary findings reported affirm the viability of online games as a potential tool for teaching and learning in the 4.0 era, which endeavours to engage the digital natives of the 21st century. The study thus claims that MMOGs in particular the massively multiplayer online role-playing games or MMORPGs can facilitate in providing contextualized and authentic language interaction opportunities in English between online multilingual speakers.
Dynamic Transfer and Relations between First Language (L1) Proficiency and Second Language (L2) Writing Skills Performance
Author: Alkhateeb, Abdulelah
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Transfer of Training,Language Proficiency,Native Language,Second Language Learning,Writing Skills,Writing Achievement,Semitic Languages,English (Second Language),Graduate Students,Foreign Countries

This study investigates the transfer relationship between first language (L1) (Arabic) proficiency and second language (L2) (English) performance in writing skills of a Saudi bilingual graduate student. Several studies have discussed the transfer issues in language learning, yet a few of them focus on the transfer relationships between Arabic and English language writing skills. Regardless of the huge linguistic distinction between the English language and Arabic language, it is presumed that Arabic and English writing skills positively, negatively, and neutrally transferred in a dynamic relationship. The researcher has conducted observations and interviews with Fatimah, the participant of this study, and analyzed her texts in both languages to illustrate how dynamic relationships between L1 and L2 in the composition skills is and what the effects of language transfer in the composition skills between L1 and L2 are. The data were collected and analyzed in January 2018. The results demonstrate effects of L2 on L1 as the following; first, a reverse or backward transfer implemented in three ways; positive, negative, and neutral transfer. Second, they indicate that there is a dynamic relationship between second language performance and first language proficiency in composition particularly. It is hoped that this knowledge will assist students in being aware of the effects of L2 on L1 specifically in composition and taking the advantages to accelerate the rate of language learning. It is recommended for future research to conduct studies in bilingual writings to investigate how L1 could be a resource and advocate of language development.
Teachers&apos; Informal Learning in the Context of Development: Resources, Barriers, and Motivation
Author: Çelik, Kazim
Date: 2021-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Informal Education,Professional Development,Barriers,Resources,Learning Motivation,Teacher Participation,Public School Teachers,Elementary Secondary Education,Interaction,Foreign Countries

This research focuses on teachers' professional learning. In this context, the purpose of the research is to determine the informal learning resources, motivations and barriers in the learning process from the teachers' perspective. In the research, one of the qualitative methods, basic qualitative research design was used. Participants of the study consisted of 21 teachers who were determined with maximum diversity sampling. Research data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the participants. The semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers was used in the interviews. The data obtained as a result of the interviews were transferred to the computer program and analyzed by content analysis method. Three themes were determined as a result of the analysis. These are informal learning resources, learning motivation and professional learning barriers. Teachers' informal learning resources are divided into two sub-themes as interactive and personal, while learning motivation is divided into two subthemes as intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation. The barriers to the learning process are divided into four sub-themes. These are personal barriers, school-related barriers, work-related barriers, and barriers caused by central policies. Since teachers have different kinds of learning methods, creating the sources that support these methods, linking the teachers' professional developments with their career progressions and averting the dilemmas caused by work and family perceptions and transforming the schools into learning environments are the main suggestions made as a result of the research.
The Associations between Learning-Teaching Conceptions and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Structural Equation Modeling Study
Author: Uluçinar, Ufuk
Date: 2021-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Technological Literacy,Technology Integration,Constructivism (Learning),Behaviorism,Concept Formation,Preservice Teachers,Undergraduate Students,Public Colleges,Foreign Countries

Competency in technological pedagogical content knowledge is one of the fundamental standards to become a qualified teacher in 21st century. Teachers are expected to have TPACK with technology integration efficacies in their classroom. This research aims to explain the roles of TPACK and its components on behaviorist and constructivist learning-teaching conceptions. Designed as an explanatory research the current study employs hypotheses explaining cause-result connections amongst independent variables (knowledge of technology, knowledge of pedagogy and content knowledge), mediators (technological content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, and technological pedagogical content knowledge) and dependents (behaviorist and constructivist teacher conceptions). One of the structural equation modeling applications benefits from path analysis to uncover these associations. Mediation effects between them are tested through the Sobel tests and bias-corrected bootstrapping confidence interval. The path analyses point out that behaviorist teacher conception is just affected by technology knowledge. They show also that technology and pedagogy knowledge have indirect effects on constructivist teacher conceptions via technological content, pedagogical content, technological pedagogical knowledge, and TPACK. It is found that content knowledge is an agent directly affecting constructivist teacher conceptions. It is suggested that teachers should take part in workshops, projects etc. on TPACK or technology integration.