ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Evaluating ELT Textbook in Bangladesh: The Case of &quot;English for Today&quot; (Classes Nine-Ten)
Author: Uddin, Muhammed Rukan
Date: 2021-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Textbook Evaluation,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Decision Making,Check Lists,Secondary School Students,Teaching Methods,Language Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Foreign Countries,National Curriculum,Language Skills,Evaluation Criteria

The paper evaluates the ELT textbook &quot;English for Today&quot; (Classes Nine--Ten) which is used as a dominant instructional material in secondary level schools and madrasahs in Bangladesh. The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) of Bangladesh published the revised edition of the textbook series &quot;English for Today&quot; in the academic year 2013 incorporating the guidelines proposed in National Education Policy (NEP, 2010) and National Curriculum (NC, 2012). Ever since the introduction of the ELT textbook series, systematic evaluations to examine their pedagogical usefulness and constraints have been found inadequate. The purpose of the study is, therefore, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the textbook which will help the teachers do maximum application of its strengths in the classroom, and make sensible decisions about the weaknesses. This study followed the 'whilst-use' evaluation type, and adopted mainly the checklist method. The checklist was designed drawing on suitable criteria from the popular checklist developed by McDonough, Shaw and Masuhara (2013). In addition, a short semi-structured interview was conducted with 10 secondary English teachers in order to explore how the teachers would perceive and evaluate the textbook. Though the evaluation identified the textbook's rewarding features, it also revealed a number of limitations which require sincere attention of the curriculum and materials developers. The study implies that the textbook requires both internal and external improvements in order to maximize the learning outcomes and meet the curriculum objectives. The paper also makes recommendations for the curriculum experts and textbook writers for consideration during future editions of the textbook.
Investigating Saudi EFL Students&apos; Knowledge and Beliefs Related to English Reading Comprehension
Author: Alenezi, Saud
Date: 2021-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Reading Strategies,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Student Attitudes,Undergraduate Students,Universities,Correlation,Language Tests,Prereading Experience,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries

Reading is an essential strategic and a life-long skill required for success in learning. The current study explores the knowledge and beliefs of Saudi students of English as a foreign language (EFL) about English reading comprehension strategies. It also intends to determine if there is a significant correlation between the students' foundational knowledge of English reading comprehension strategies and their beliefs about reading comprehension strategies. The study employed a quantitative method. The data were collected using a forty-item survey questionnaire. The respondents were 203 Saudi EFL students enrolled in Preparatory Year Program at Northern Border University in Saudi Arabia. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and a test of non-parametric correlation (Spearman's rho correlation coefficient) was run to determine the relationship between the variables. The overall findings of the study revealed that the students have a good foundational knowledge of pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading reading strategies. The correlational analysis showed a medium correlation between students' foundational knowledge of reading strategies and their beliefs about reading strategies. In conclusion, the study suggests some implications for teaching English reading to EFL students.
Enhancing Teachers&apos; Competencies through Professional Development Program: Challenges and Benefits
Author: Apriliyanti, Dewi Listia
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Competencies,Faculty Development,Learning Processes,Outcomes of Education,Language Teachers,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction

Teachers' professional development program is considered to play an important role in enhancing teacher competencies. An observational case study is conducted to observe teachers' learning process and teachers' outcomes after learning on the program. Five English teachers who have participated in the professional development program in Indonesia and passed the teachers' competency test in the program have become key informants of this research. The objectives of the research are to investigate the learning process on the program and challenges faced by the teachers in implementing their teaching knowledge and outcome of teachers after participating in the program. The research has found three essential findings. First, the research found that pedagogic competencies and professional competencies have become the basic formulation for learning materials that are taught in the program. Second, the research found four obstacles and challenges to implement teachers' knowledge from the program in their classroom, for instance, innovative teaching methods and creative lesson designs. Third, the investigation also discovered the challenges and the benefits in the implementation of professional learning development as one of the solutions in enhancing English teachers' competencies in Indonesia. Furthermore, this research recommended the stakeholder to consider the financial aspect and the demography aspect in the implementation of the professional teacher development program. [Note: The page range (28-38) shown on the table of contents for this issue does not contain the correct number of pages for this article.]
On Context and Second Language Acquisition: The Rural Urban Dichotomy in Cameroon
Author: Mbibeh, Louis
Date: 2021-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rural Urban Differences,Second Language Learning,Verbs,Elementary School Students,Oral Language,Written Language,Language Tests,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Context Effect,Interlanguage,Acculturation,Morphemes,French,English (Second Language),African Languages

The complexity of the linguistic environment in Cameroon raises the question of context and its role in the acquisition of another language. This paper draws a dichotomy between learners in such contexts considered rural and those regarded as urban or cosmopolitan. Using the irregular verb as a yardstick, an evaluation of the acquisition of irregular verb patterns by 80 final year primary school learners from 2 contexts in the Northwest Region of Cameroon was done. Oral and written tests were administered to check learners' acquisition of verb inflectional categories, verb tenses and general written and oral productions. The findings reveal similar trends in the acquisition of inflectional categories and verb tenses by learners in both contexts and divergent trends in general oral and written productions. For instance, learners in both contexts had similar challenges using the Vs, Ved and Ven inflections with a very low average frequency of 26% and with a high frequency of 67.2 % for the Ving and Vo inflections. Though learners in the urban centres had higher degrees of efficiency in oral productions, their counterparts in the rural areas had more challenges in verbal as against written productions. The paper concludes that second language acquisition is not a consequence of a unilateral context but a result of a plethora of other factors both within and without the learning environment with evident pedagogic implications for stakeholders in the second language acquisition industry.
Blended Learning in Higher Medical Education: Principles and Strategies of Teaching Foreign Languages
Author: Isayeva, Oksana
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Blended Learning,Medical Education,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Technology Uses in Education,Electronic Learning,Medical Students,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods

The article highlights the new approach to teaching a foreign language to medical students as a reasonable mixed method of traditional teaching and the use of modern technologies. Teaching process at higher medical educational institutions is based on innovative didactic technologies, mechanisms and procedures. Many theories suggest implementation of combined classroom and online teaching called blended or hybrid learning. The aim of this investigation is to develop practical recommendations for successful integration of blended learning with traditional teaching medical students at the Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University. Web-based technology stimulates and promotes self-learning, keeps the learner at the centre of the learning process using personality-oriented and technology-mediated approaches. E-learning promotes autonomy and motivates students to learn throughout the life performing specific tasks before or after classroom learning. The research involved 47 groups of students studying General Medicine at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University (602 second-year students, 2017-2018 academic year). The experiment consisted of 40% of e-learning and 60% of classroom teaching. Assessing performance, we concluded that students' academic performance results improved from 15% to 23% depending on the language skill due to the integration of blended learning strategies into the teaching process. Blended learning also assists students to choose and interpret required tasks, to assess cases related to future medical profession, and to apply compulsory information, which requires proficiency and practical skills.
Business and Law Vocabulary Acquisition in the ESP Classroom
Author: Hrdlicková, Zuzana
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English for Special Purposes,Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Economics Education,Legal Education (Professions),Departments,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Online Courses,Applied Linguistics,Reading Skills,Figurative Language,Reading Processes,Periodicals,Student Motivation,Vocabulary Development,Comparative Analysis,Integrated Learning Systems,Computational Linguistics,Teaching Methods,Course Descriptions

Undergraduates of the University of Economics in Bratislava need to receive decent economic and legal education to be able to work successfully in different areas of the national economy and in the management structures of all levels. The previous research has shown that Slovakia follows a significant negative trend with performance in reading. Online learning platforms like LMS Moodle are ideal for students in higher education. This paper is a part of the KEGA Project carried out at the Department of English Language of the Faculty of Applied Languages. It demonstrates the work of an experimental group of sixty-four first- and second-year students of the Faculty of National Economy in a course &quot;Business English for Advanced Students III&quot; supported by an e-course &quot;Business Communication&quot;. During the semester, students developed reading skills and improved communication by reading and investigating written discourse for unknown words and idiomatic expressions. The rationale for the quantitative research is to compose a corpus of professional articles from English-language periodicals read by &quot;Economics and Law&quot; students. The rationale for the qualitative research is to identify important business, legal and academic vocabulary in them. The method of &quot;Statistical Hypothesis Testing&quot;, T-test, tests the significance of the difference between the knowledge of idioms of the experimental group and the control group (33 students doing a traditional course). The results indicate that LMS Moodle increased students' motivation to study English. The results prove that &quot;Economics and Law&quot; students enlarged greatly their legal vocabulary and that both groups were interested in learning idiomatic expressions.
Developing Foreign Language Communicative Competence of Engineering Students within University Extracurricular Activities
Author: Sandal, Jan-Urban
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Communicative Competence (Languages),English for Special Purposes,Second Language Learning,Engineering Education,Undergraduate Students,Extracurricular Activities,Intercultural Communication,Cultural Awareness,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries

The topic of the study is the analysis of forms of extracurricular work that contribute to the formation of foreign language communication competence among engineering students. The main tasks of the research are to identify the levels of formation of components of foreign language communicative competence among engineering students, the desire to work on self-improvement outside the classroom workload. Theoretical, empirical, statistical and mathematical methods have been used to conduct the empirical study. The participants were 64 students of the Educational-Scientific Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Technology and Transport of Chernihiv National University of Technology. The most popular language for learning among students is English. The majority of respondents (52%) have a medium level of foreign language proficiency; almost half of the students (43%) stated elementary level and only 5% of respondents have a high level of foreign language knowledge. However, the cultural component of students' foreign language communication competence is even less developed. The results obtained have given the ground for searching new forms of extracurricular work with engineering students. The authors identified the prospect forms of extracurricular work with such category of students, particularly: English cinema club, English Board Games Club, student Cultural Center, student culinary studio, hand-made studio, theatre studio, art studio, studio of additive technologies, student international fraternity, etc. Further study requires experimental verification of the effectiveness of the suggested forms of extracurricular work.
Effects of Teaching and Practice of Time Management Skills on Academic Performance in Computer Information Systems Courses
Author: Humpherys, Sean L.
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Time Management,Academic Achievement,Computer Science Education,Intervention,College Students,Program Effectiveness,Positive Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Assignments

This study proposes a time management intervention for college students that includes 1) identifying academic deliverables with due dates, 2) preplanning specific study times each week in advance, 3) and sharing the plan with the instructor. Results show a decrease in missing assignments and an increase in course grades even when controlling for graduate/undergraduate status. Both undergraduate and graduate students perceive the intervention as positive. Students practice time management skills which are critical to their academic success and success as professional developers.
Plugin-Based Tool for Teaching Secure Mobile Application Development
Author: Riad, A. B. M. Kamrul
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Handheld Devices,Computer Security,Computer Software,Computer Science Education,Experiential Learning,College Students,Student Attitudes,Open Source Technology

Mobile device security has become increasingly important in mobile computing. Since the mobile devices and applications are growing rapidly, the security threats are intensified due to mobile app flaws and lack of security consideration in early stages of software development. The unsecure software development process creates a serious weak path that causes potential malicious attacks in mobile devices. To mitigate the mobile threats, it is essential for application developers to follow secure code development processes to alleviate data leakage or access control vulnerabilities. Secure Mobile Software Development needs to be emphasized and adopted for reducing security vulnerabilities. In this paper we present a development tool of secure code analysis for mobile application development. The tool is designed to find the security leakage of static code and implementation of plugins such as Droid Patrol. The proposed code analysis and design procedure in the early stage of application development can eliminate the weak security path in coding. Our experience of running the plugin in classrooms are discussed and student feedback are provided. [This paper was selected for inclusion in the journal as an EDSIGCON 2020 Meritorious Paper.]
Investigation of High School Students&apos; Dropout Risk Level
Author: Zengin, Mevsim
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High School Students,At Risk Students,Potential Dropouts,Dropout Prevention,Public Schools,Antisocial Behavior,Shyness,Gender Differences,Instructional Program Divisions,Academic Failure,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries

The aim of this study is to determine the risk level of high school students for dropout. The sample of the research in the descriptive survey model consisted of 578 students studying in public high schools in the central districts of Mersin. The &quot;School Dropout Risk Scale&quot; was used as a data collection tool in the study. According to the findings obtained as a result of the research, male students are more likely to drop out of school and behave antisocial than female students. It has been observed that there are silent types who have a perception of failure, do not show that they will drop out of school, are in the risk group, and that the students expressed a &quot;low&quot; level of opinion regarding the total score at the risk of dropping out of school. In line with these findings, suggestions were made to prevent school dropout.
Using Student Choice in Assignments to Create a Learner-Centered Environment for Online Courses
Author: Pinchot, Jamie
Date: 2021-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Assignments,Student Centered Learning,Educational Environment,Online Courses,Instructional Effectiveness,Learner Engagement,Web Based Instruction,Cognitive Style,Grading,Undergraduate Students

Learner-centered approaches have been found to be effective in online courses for encouraging a deep understanding of course content and for encouraging student engagement. Instructors of two information systems courses revised their online teaching methods to incorporate student choice in assignments. All assignments except a weekly quiz were made optional, and more assignments were provided than were necessary to obtain an A in the course. A variety of assignment types that would appeal to different learning styles were incorporated, allowing students the flexibility to choose assignments that most appealed to them. Findings show that students completed a range of assignment types, with 47% of students completing more assignments than were necessary to earn an A grade. Student reviews were extremely positive about the choice in assignments and noted that the flexibility gave them more control over their learning. [This paper was selected for inclusion in the journal as an EDSIGCON 2020 Distinguished Paper.]
The Effect of Reading Strategies Instruction on EFL Learners&apos; Reading Performances
Author: Valizadeh, Mohammadreza
Date: 2021-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Strategies,Reading Comprehension,Reading Achievement,Reading Instruction,Direct Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Performance Factors,Language Proficiency,Young Adults,Foreign Countries

This study, using pretest-intervention-posttest, investigated whether instructing English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' in the use of reading strategies when they read English passages affects their English reading performances. The participants were 51 Turkish learners of English, who were at elementary level of language proficiency, based on the results of the Oxford Quick Placement Test. The whole treatment/control period lasted for 20 sessions during 10 weeks on a Reading course. The experimental group (n = 26) received instruction in reading strategies (i.e., previewing, finding the main idea, scanning, identifying examples, identifying definitions, identifying time and sequence words, reading numerical tables, making inferences, reading statistical tables, distinguishing fact from opinion) and the control group (n = 25) received instruction based on traditional teaching methods (i.e., reading, paraphrasing, translating, and answering the exercises). Data were collected via a reading proficiency test. The result of the independent samples t-test showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control one.
Labour Market Requirements for Foreign Language Education with a Focus on Spanish
Author: Spišiaková, Mária
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Economics Education,Spanish,Labor Market,Foreign Countries,Universities,Employment Potential,College Graduates,Management Development,Business Administration Education,Language Proficiency,Education Work Relationship,Language Attitudes,Cultural Awareness

The paper focuses on education in the field of foreign languages, particularly Spanish, in the framework of university study of economic and managerial orientation in Slovakia in order to find out what the labour market requirements are for graduates in the field of foreign language skills. In our research, we focus on Spanish, as no similar relevant research has been done to date in this foreign language. Current research shows that the graduates of economics and management fields lack the link between the content of education and the requirements of the labour market, as well as preparation in the field of foreign language skills. This calls for a better understanding of the real needs of employers and graduates. This paper is based on a questionnaire survey among potential employers of graduates of the University of Economics in Bratislava who require foreign language skills, mainly Spanish, as well as of graduates of the University of Economics in Bratislava who use foreign languages, in particular Spanish in their employment. The paper provides an overview of the specific language competencies and knowledge that are needed in the labour market. The ambition of research is to contribute to improving the link between higher education content and the real needs of the labour market, and thus to boosting the employability of graduates in the labour market.