ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Use of Abbreviations in English-Medium Astrophysics Research Paper Titles: A Problematic Issue
Author: Méndez, David I.
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Memory,Scholarship,Periodicals,Journal Articles,Astronomy,Physics,English,Bibliometrics,Content Analysis,Language Usage,Morphology (Languages),Readability,Ambiguity (Semantics),Reading Comprehension,Diachronic Linguistics,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis

In this study, we carry out a qualitative and quantitative analysis of abbreviations in 300 randomly collected research paper titles published in the most prestigious European and US-based Astrophysics journals written in English. Our main results show that the process of shortening words and groups of words is one of the most characteristic and recurrent features in Astrophysics research paper titling construction. In spite of the convenience of abbreviations as a mechanism for word-formation, some of them may pose certain difficulties of understanding and/or misinterpretation because of their specificity, ambiguity, or overlapping. To overcome these difficulties, we propose a series of options which with no doubt would lead to a better interaction among the different branches of Astrophysics in particular and of science in general and would definitely improve how research is currently performed and communicated.
Dombey and Son: An Inverted Maid's Tragedy
Author: Badinjki, Taher
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novels,Classics (Literature),Literary Devices,Moral Values,Parent Child Relationship,Mothers,Daughters

Ross Dabney, J. Butt &amp; K. Tillotson, and others think that Dickens revised the role of Edith in the original plan of &quot;Dombey and Son&quot; upon the advice of a friend. I tend to believe that Dickens's swerve from his course was prompted by two motives, his relish for grand scenes, and his endeavour to engage the reader's sympathies for a character who was a victim of a social practice which he was trying to condemn. Dickens's humanitarian attitude sought to redeem the sinner and condemn the sin. In engaging the reader's sympathies, Dickens had entrapped his own. Both Edith and Alice are shown as victims of rapacious mothers who sell anything, or anybody for money. While Good Mrs Brown sells Alice's virtue and innocence for cash, Mrs Skewton trades on Edith's beauty in the marriage market to secure fortune and a good establishment. Edith and Alice's maturity and moral growth and their scorn and anger at their mothers' false teaching come in line with public prudery. Moreover, their educators in the principles of Mammonism have not succeeded altogether in stifling their innate feminine tenderness and capacity for affection, the thing that draws them near their reader's heart and wins them love and sympathy.
The Impact of Social Networking on the Oral Performance of EFL Learners
Author: Qarajeh, Masoud
Date: 2015-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Networks,Social Media,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Language Proficiency,Pretests Posttests,Foreign Countries,College Freshmen,Language Tests,Language Teachers,Speech Skills,Technological Advancement,Statistical Significance

The present study was set out to investigate the effect of social hubs on improving EFL learners' speaking skill. The participants of the study were 38 female and 26 male students between the age of 19 and 29. They were randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control. Each group consisted of 32 participants. A language proficiency test and the pre-test were administered to both groups at the beginning of the study. The treatment lasted three months and it was held in a state university in Gonbad, Iran. The experimental group was allowed and encouraged to use social hubs in addition to the traditional class activities. Further, a course of communication on social networks was administered to the experimental group while the control group attended the traditional regular classes and they were not allowed to use computers for communication. In the end, the post-test was administered to both groups. The findings displayed that social networking had a positive impact on speaking ability of Iranian EFL students.
Graduation Resources in Medical Case Reports Written by Native and Non-Native Medical Writers
Author: Swear, Muna Abdulhussein
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Native Speakers,Dialects,Foreign Countries,Writing (Composition),Language Styles,Medical Research,Computational Linguistics,Periodicals,Case Studies,Text Structure,Discourse Analysis,Authors,Statistical Analysis

The Appraisal Theory includes three subsystems of evaluation; Attitude, Engagement, and Graduation. This study focuses on Graduation subsystem which is used by writers to amplify or diminish the scope of these two subsystems. It consists of Focus and Force options. Focus expressions are usually non-gradable they tend to sharpen or soften the utterances. Force, on the other hand modulates gradable expressions; which can be emphasized or downtoned the writer's utterances in terms of Intensification and Quantification. This pilot test is conducted to characterize the Force: Graduation of the heteroglossic resources in 20 MCR written in English by NS and NNS (Malaysian) medical writers. MCR is a medical genre that has proven recently to be very important in the advancement of medical researches and in serving pedagogical purposes to offer a description to the practical strength of the clinical decision-making. Many incidents of Force: Graduation are collected for the purpose of analysis. The analysis includes investigating the gradable heteroglossic resources in the MCRs of both groups of writers and examining the differences in employing these resources. The results indicate a little bit more frequent occurrence in the NS medical writers MCRs gradable heteroglossic expressions compared with those of NNS medical writers. Additionally, the use of these resources in the discussion sections of both groups is higher than in the other sections for both writers.
The Application of Podcasting as a Motivational Strategy to Iranian EFL Learners of English: A View toward Listening Comprehension
Author: Shiri, Saeed
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Listening Comprehension,Motivation Techniques,English (Second Language),Multimedia Materials,Student Attitudes,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Language Tests,Questionnaires,Interviews,Qualitative Research,Listening Skills,Teaching Methods,Achievement Gains,High School Students,College Students,College Second Language Programs,Pretests Posttests,Instructional Effectiveness,Foreign Countries

This study was conducted in order to inspect the impact of podcasts as learning and teaching tools on Iranian EFL learners' motivation for listening as well as on their listening comprehension ability. It also investigated the learners' perception towards podcasts. 34 intermediate learners who were homogeneous in terms of listening ability were chosen and then assigned into two groups. While the experimental group were given the treatment i.e. podcasts, the control group received the traditional practice. Data analysis results showed that the learners in the podcasting group surpassed the participants in the control group in their listening comprehension tests and in ELCMS scale as used to measure changes in the motivation of learners for listening. Students' views about the program were also elicited via podcast contribution questionnaire and individual interviews. The analysis of qualitative data showed that students perceived improvement in their listening achievement.
Reading Logs and Literature Teaching Models in English Language Teacher Education
Author: Ochoa Delarriva, Ornella
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Diaries,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Qualitative Research,English Literature,Coding,Teaching Methods,Higher Education,Reading Comprehension,Foreign Countries,Teaching Models

Reading logs are regularly used in foreign language education since they are not only critical in the development of reading comprehension but may also be instrumental in taking readers beyond the referential into the representational realms of language. In this paper we offer the results of a qualitative analysis of a series of reading logs written by advanced students for a literature course in an English language teacher education program in Argentina. The logs were coded according to the different literature teaching models followed in the program, which let us ponder on the applicability and usefulness of reading logs, and on the need to promote diversity in literature teaching in English language teacher education.
Learner's Learning Experiences &amp; Difficulties towards (ESL) among UKM Undergraduates
Author: Maarof, Nooreiny
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Learning Experience,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Learning Problems,Reading Difficulties,Writing Difficulties,Active Learning,Critical Thinking,Creative Thinking,Language Usage,Teaching Methods,Educational Environment,Educational Quality,Teacher Role,Semi Structured Interviews,Qualitative Research,Data Analysis

This paper aims to investigate the learners learning experiences and difficulties of ESL among the UKM undergraduates. This study will be focusing on identifying the factors behind Malaysian undergraduate's experiences and also their difficulties in the English as Second Language (ESL) classroom. This paper discusses some of the issues of English language learning experiences at the tertiary level in this country. It reflects on how the teaching of English is variously conceptualized in our classrooms, raising important questions about the positions of English literacy to Malaysian undergraduates. A qualitative research method was employed, whereby a semi-structured interview session was conducted compromising thirty Bachelor of Arts undergraduates (BA ELS). The findings of this study suggests learners at tertiary level do face challenges in their ESL classroom learning, in areas such as the learning environment itself needs to be improved, the quality of education, the academics, the role of educators and the teaching approach were among others pointed out by the learners themselves.
Reflection on Teachers' Personal and Professional Growth through a Materials Development Seminar
Author: Núñez Pardo, Astrid
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Professional Development,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Reflection,Individual Development,Material Development,Seminars,Qualitative Research,Action Research,Foreign Countries,Language Teachers,Interdisciplinary Approach,Teacher Surveys,Methods,Masters Programs,College Faculty,Grounded Theory

This qualitative action research study explores the role of reflection on teachers' personal and professional growth through the methodology used in the Materials Development Seminar in the Master's Programme in Education with Emphasis on English Didactics at a private university in Colombia. The project was carried out with 31 English as a Foreign Language Teachers. The instruments for data gathering were a survey and a written reflection. The findings suggest that reflection is critical in raising teachers' awareness of personal and professional growth, creating a reflective learning environment and a positive affective state. Additionally, a number of English as a foreign language teachers became text developers with a recognised Colombian publishing house.
Anchoring Effects of English Vocabulary Instruction: The Case of Pre-University Students
Author: Deylamsalehi, Anahita
Date: 2015-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Concept Mapping,Vocabulary Development,High School Seniors,College Bound Students,Instructional Effectiveness,Gender Differences,Student Placement,Language Tests,Scores,Academic Achievement,Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Language Proficiency,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of employing Concept Mapping (hereafter CM) in vocabulary instruction on Iranian pre-university students. This study also seeks to find whether there is difference between male and female students' vocabulary learning when they are subjected to CM instruction. In so doing, an Oxford Placement Test was administered among 120 pre-university students in two high schools in Iran. Eighty students who scored between +1 and -1 standard deviation above and below the mean were selected and randomly assigned into concept mapping group (CM) and non-concept mapping group (NCM) (20 male and 20 female). The results indicated that the CM group outperformed the NCM group in vocabulary learning. It was also revealed that there was no significant difference between males and females. Some pedagogical implications in the EFL context are discussed in the subsequent section.
The Procedural Syllabus and the Task Syllabus: How Similar, How Different?
Author: Baleghizadeh, Sasan
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Course Descriptions,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Teaching Methods,Task Analysis,Linguistic Input,Comparative Analysis,Instructional Design,Instructional Innovation

The present paper aims to convince readers that the terms procedural and task syllabuses, often used interchangeably and synonymously, are fundamentally different from each other. After reviewing the underlying principles of these two syllabuses, it is contended that they both view pedagogic tasks as the point of departure in designing second/foreign language courses. Besides, neither of them is built on any pre-specified linguistic units such as structures, functions, notions, etc. In spite of this striking similarity, it is argued that these two syllabus types differ from each other in terms of task selection, task gradation, task implementation, and input characteristics.
Developing Learner Autonomy through Project Work in an ESP Class
Author: Díaz Ramírez, Martha Isabel
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Engineering Education,Environmental Education,Personal Autonomy,Independent Study,Second Language Learning,English for Special Purposes,Action Research,Data Collection,Observation,Semi Structured Interviews,Questionnaires,Video Technology,Notetaking,Student Journals,Cooperative Learning,Self Control,Learning Strategies,Student Motivation,Qualitative Research,Case Studies,Data Analysis,Student Projects

This article presents the findings of an action research study on developing learner autonomy through project work in an English for Specific Purposes class. The study was conducted at a Colombian regional and public university with environmental engineering undergraduates. The instruments for data collection were field notes, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, students' artifacts, and video recordings. The results revealed that learner autonomy could be developed by means of cooperative work in order to achieve common interests and support each other. Students also displayed self-regulation in regard to facing failures through learning strategies; furthermore, this study showed how intrinsic motivation implies the desire for accomplishment and knowledge to fulfill a learning goal.
Materials Development in the Colombian Context: Some Considerations about Its Benefits and Challenges
Author: Ramos Holguín, Bertha
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Material Development,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Teacher Education Programs,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Language Teachers,English Teachers,Inclusion

Materials development is a field of study which has recently acquired significant importance in the Colombian context due to the fact that teachers, as materials developers, consider materials development as an area of knowledge that helps them to improve their teaching practices. However, the rationale, the gains as well as the challenges that drive materials designers have not been explored enough in Colombia. This article aims to provide some general considerations about the benefits teachers, as material developers, will obtain and some of the shortcomings which may emerge along this process. Finally, the authors discuss some implications for teachers, students, and teacher education programs.
Language-Building Activities and Interaction Variations with Mixed-Ability ESL University Learners in a Content-Based Course
Author: Serna Dimas, Héctor Manuel
Date: 2014-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Teacher Student Relationship,Therapy,Course Content,Teaching Methods,Patients,Lesson Plans,Feedback (Response),Oral Language,Class Activities,Structured Interviews,Language Proficiency,Counselor Client Relationship,Student Participation,Clinical Diagnosis,Physical Therapy,Action Research,Introductory Courses,Foreign Countries,College Faculty,College Students

The preparation of both language-building activities and a variety of teacher/student interaction patterns increase both oral language participation and content learning in a course of manual therapy with mixed-language ability students. In this article, the researchers describe their collaboration in a content-based course in English with English as a second language learners. The data gathered through lesson plans, sociograms, and student feedback cards showed an increase of students' involvement in class activities since their concern was to be able to diagnose and treat their future patients' physical condition through a structured interview for which both careful language elaboration and therapist/patient interaction were essential.
University Students' English Language Improvements through a Content-Based Course
Author: Gómez Flórez, Erica
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Students,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Course Content,Language Proficiency,Microbiology,Course Descriptions,English (Second Language),College Second Language Programs,Interdisciplinary Approach,Molecular Biology,State Universities,Undergraduate Students,Science Instruction,Case Studies,Language Tests,Achievement Gains,Oral Language,Listening Comprehension,College Faculty,Cooperating Teachers,Spanish,Language of Instruction,Focus Groups,Story Telling,Observation,Qualitative Research

Content-Based Instruction (CBI) may result in improved proficiency in language skills due to the meaningful combination of subject matter and foreign language as a means of communication. This paper shows how university students improved their level of English by means of a content methodology as they attended a course called Topics in Molecular Microbiology. The course was a collaborative enterprise between the School of Microbiology and the School of Languages at a public university. The methodology used was a case study. Five instruments and the MELICET test were used and analyzed in order to check students' language gains. The findings support that seven undergraduate students improved their speaking and listening skills. Finally, this study offers two implications: Universities should offer more CBI courses; language teachers and content teachers should work collaboratively.
Hybridity in Willa Cather's &quot;Death Comes for the Archbishop&quot; and &quot;Shadows on the Rock&quot;
Author: Fard, Maryam Heydari
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novels,Foreign Policy,Christianity,Interpersonal Relationship,Intercultural Communication,Indigenous Populations,Clergy,Nuns,Catholics,Foreign Countries

Willa Cather wrote &quot;Death Comes for the Archbishop&quot; and &quot;Shadows on the Rock&quot; based on the missionary life of Europeans in Quebec and New Mexico. In both novels she depicts a different type of colonizer-colonized relationship. The colonizers arrive with their stereotypical views about the natives to purportedly civilize them. But later, through their interaction with the natives, their superior, patronizing attitude gradually changes, so that, the boundary between the colonizer and the colonized becomes blurred. Contrary to their presuppositions about natives and also the long-established colonial attitude, the missionaries in these two novels treat the natives sympathetically and in some cases equally. Using Homi Bhabha's theory of hybridity, this essay attempts to analyze these two novels in terms of the depiction of cultural relation/interaction.
Analyzing EFL Teachers' Initial Job Motivation and Factors Effecting Their Motivation in Fezalar Educational Institutions in Iraq
Author: Koran, Selcuk
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Motivation,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Work Environment,Teacher Attitudes,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Foreign Countries,Job Satisfaction,Questionnaires

Teacher motivation is one of the primary variables of students' high performance. It is experienced that students whose teachers are highly motivated are more engaged in the learning process. Therefore, it's mostly the teacher who determines the level of success or failure in achieving institution's goal in the educational process. Thus, teachers are expected to demonstrate a high job motivation performance by administrations. However, some teachers seem naturally enthusiastic about teaching while others need to be stimulated, inspired and challenged. There are several factors that provide teachers with necessary motivation driven by which they can work effectively. These factors can be emotional, financial, physical or academic. This study is an attempt to find out what motivates teachers to enter this profession, since the reasons of entering this job has significant influence on their commitment to the job, investigate factors which are responsible for high or low motivation of language teachers in Fezalar Educational Institutions (FEI), which is a Turkish private institution that operates in Iraq, and ascertain the degree to which intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors impact teachers in their work situation. Based on the review of the recent researches of motivation, in general, and of language teacher motivation, in particular, and relying on the qualitative and quantitative study of the issue, a detailed analysis of some aspects of foreign language teacher motivation is presented in the article.