ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
School Performance, Cultural, Social and Personality Factors and Their Relationships with Majoring in Foreign and First Languages
Author: Khodadady, Ebrahim
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Personality Traits,Grade Point Average,Family Income,Statistical Analysis,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Extracurricular Activities,Majors (Students),Graduate Students,Undergraduate Students,Student Attitudes,Peer Relationship,Parent Child Relationship,Family Relationship,Religious Factors,Social Influences,Social Capital,Neurosis,Cultural Influences,Second Language Instruction,Comparative Analysis,Correlation,Cultural Capital,Foreign Countries,Native Language,Indo European Languages,Personality Measures

This study reports the performance of 419 undergraduate and graduate students on three questionnaires addressing their biodata, social and cultural capitals and personality factors. The statistical analysis of the students' diploma Grade Point Averages (GPAs) and monthly family income (MFI) showed that the GPAs and MFIs of students majoring in English as a foreign language were significantly higher than those majoring in Persian as a first/second language. Among the five personality factors, i.e., Neuroticism, Extroversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, only the last revealed significant relationships with the eight social factors, i.e., Parental Consultation, Family-School Interaction, Family Support, Extracurricular Activities, Family Relationship, Parent-School Encouragement and Facility, Peer Interaction, and Religious Activities, for both English and Persian students. Conscientiousness, however, correlated significantly only with the GPAs of Persian students (r = 0.21, p &lt;0.01). Similar significant differences were found in the relationships among the GPAs and social factors underlying the social capitals of English and Persian students. Since the highest correlations obtained in the study belonged to different cultural, social and personality factors for English and Persian students, it is argued that learners approach a foreign language as a goal in itself whereas students of native languages employ them to achieve various objectives such as establishing interpersonal relationships through Extroversion and overcoming their Neuroticism through social interactions. The implications of the findings are discussed within the context of foreign language teaching and suggestions are made for future research.
The Combined Effect of Instruction and Monitor in Improving Pronunciation of Potential English Teachers
Author: Liu, Qian
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pronunciation Instruction,Pronunciation,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Metacognition,Teaching Methods,College Students,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Scoring,Pretests Posttests,Vocabulary Development,Majors (Students),Oral Reading,Foreign Countries,Linguistic Theory,Instructional Effectiveness

The role that instruction and monitor can play in improvement of pronunciation has long been a focus of argument among linguists and researchers. It is assumed that their combination will result in positive effect. An empirical study is carried out and it is confirmed that their combination contributes greatly to the improvement of pronunciation accuracy and positive transfer of pronunciation knowledge. Monitor strategies are also discussed in this paper.
On the Impact of Illustrated Assessment Tool on Paragraph Writing of High School Graduates of Qom, Iran
Author: Bagheridoust, Esmaeil
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,High School Graduates,Paragraph Composition,Illustrations,Evaluation Methods,Writing Tests,Statistical Analysis,Computer Software,Writing Evaluation,Scoring Rubrics

Writing as one important skill in language proficiency demands validity, hence high schools are real places in which valid results are needed for high-stake decisions. Unrealistic and non-viable tests result in improper and invalid interpretation and use. Illustrations without any written research have proved their effectiveness in whatsoever context they are used. They also have demonstrated their effectiveness in language teaching context. The present research tries to investigate the efficacy of illustrations as an assessment tool in improving the English paragraph writing among high school graduates. Participants in two intact groups are offered a writing test with and without illustrations to identify if illustrations affect writing test results. Via SPSS software results were compared and illustrations proved to be effective in writing test results.
Learners' Performance in Doing Task with and without Teacher's Presence
Author: Rahimpour, Massoud
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,College Students,College Second Language Programs,Statistical Analysis,Communicative Competence (Languages),Language Fluency,Accuracy,Difficulty Level,College Faculty,Predictor Variables,Teacher Role,Correlation

Recently task-based language teaching has attracted many researchers', testers' and syllabus designers' attention and consequently a lot of studies are carried out in this field. This study was conducted in the task-based realm too. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teacher's presence on learners' performance in doing task with and without teacher presence. The participants of this were forty (40) EFL intermediate male and female English learners who were chosen randomly. The results of statistical analysis of the collected data revealed that teacher's presence affected the participants' oral performance in terms of fluency but not their accuracy and complexity. The findings of this study have implications for language teaching, testing and syllabus design.
A Study of Students and Teachers' Preferences and Attitudes towards Correction of Classroom Written Errors in Saudi EFL Context
Author: Hamouda, Arafat
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Writing Skills,Writing Instruction,Error Correction,Questionnaires,Feedback (Response),Error Patterns,Foreign Countries,College Students,College Faculty,Language Teachers,Preferences

It is no doubt that teacher written feedback plays an essential role in teaching writing skill. The present study, by use of questionnaire, investigates Saudi EFL students' and teachers' preferences and attitudes towards written error corrections. The study also aims at identifying the difficulties encountered by teachers and students during the feedback process. The questionnaire findings reveal that both teachers and students have positive attitudes towards written error correction. The study also shows that while teachers and students share such common preferences as the importance of error correction and the types of errors, there are considerable discrepancies as to the techniques of error correction. For instance, students favor the overall correction, whereas most teachers do not. However, the results show that students prefer teacher correction to peer and self-correction. Moreover, both the teachers and students have encountered a number of difficulties, so suggestions have been investigated so as to deal with the problems.
Cultural Transfer as an Obstacle for Writing Well in English: The Case of Arabic Speakers Writing in English
Author: Rass, Ruwaida Abu
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Cultural Influences,Arabs,Muslims,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Writing Skills,Islamic Culture,Qualitative Research,Writing Instruction,Religious Factors,Teacher Education Programs,Portfolio Assessment,College Students

This paper reviews and strengthens the data on cultural transfer by Arab Muslim students writing in English and adds the significant element of the cultural impact of Islam on such writing. This qualitative study examines the writing of 18 teacher trainees at an Arab language teacher training college in Israel. Results point to a strong cultural influence appearing in the students' writing. It is suggested that greater consideration should be given to the first and the target culture when designing the curricula for writing classes for Arab L1 students in English writing instruction.
The Effect of Using Portfolio-Based Writing Assessment on Language Learning: The Case of Young Iranian EFL Learners
Author: Taki, Saeed
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Portfolio Assessment,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Writing Evaluation,Writing Skills,Foreign Countries,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Writing Assignments,Evaluation Methods,Questionnaires,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Reflection,Student Satisfaction,Statistical Analysis,Pretests Posttests,College Students

This study investigated the effectiveness of portfolio-based writing assessment in EFL situations. Participants were 40 pre-intermediate young Iranian English learners. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups of 20 each. The experimental group wrote on five pre-established topics from their coursebook. Their writings were checked in terms of ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions of writing by two raters. They were given another opportunity to revise their writings to be corrected again. In contrast, the control group wrote only once and their writings were corrected only by their own teacher. The participants were also required to complete a questionnaire to assess their reflection and self-assessment. Results of the study indicate that portfolio-based writing assessment has a positive effect on language learning and writing ability. It also shows that it helps students' self-assessment and almost all students are satisfied with this method of assessment.
Enhancing Learner Autonomy through Reciprocal Approach to Curriculum Development
Author: Zohrabi, Mohammad
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,College Second Language Programs,Undergraduate Students,Personal Autonomy,Educational Objectives,Student Needs,Course Descriptions,Curriculum Development,Student Centered Curriculum,Measures (Individuals),Textbook Selection,Textbooks,Observation,Diaries,Student Journals,Language Tests

This study reports on how a heterogeneous mixed-ability large class (63 students) turned into a cohesive and functioning class. To promote learner autonomy, students were made responsible to identify their own needs and objectives. The participants of this study consisted of undergraduate chemistry students who had taken the English for General Purposes (EGP) course at the University of Tabriz, Iran. A learning-centered approach was opted for to fulfill both course goals (i.e. reading skill) and different students' needs, objectives, expectations, and preferences. The theoretical decisions about goals and needs were contextualized and taken to the next level, i.e. implementation stage. The students' views, syllabus, and the institution's goals were translated into practical and actual classroom activities and exercises. Useful textbooks, tasks, and projects were presented and practiced. The new syllabus acted as a mediator to raise the students' awareness to language learning, their needs, lacks, and goals. The syllabus went beyond the planning stage and content specification to the level in which the students were made to use and produce language through communicative activities within meaningful context. There were some constraints and limitations which were obviated. The important benefits of this course were as follows: selection of effective materials and methods, learner autonomy, teacher self-development, and face-value of the course.
Impact of Self-Correction on Extrovert and Introvert Students in EFL Writing Progress
Author: Hajimohammadi, Reza
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Females,College Students,Error Correction,Extraversion Introversion,English Teachers,College Faculty,Language Tests,Statistical Analysis,Personality Measures,Feedback (Response),Neurosis,Multivariate Analysis

To investigate the impact of self-correction method as an alternative to the traditional teacher-correction method, on the one side, and to evaluate the impact of personality traits of Extroversion/Introversion, on the other side, on the writing progress of the pre-intermediate learners three null-hypotheses were proposed. In spite of students absolutely different personalities some teachers probably expect all the students to react to their incompetent feedback in an indistinguishable way. To put it in other words, these teachers pay no attention to the fact that each student is completely a different human being with his/her exclusive personality. These instructors pursue the traditional correction method and correct every error and even do not agonize to present work for different correction methods let alone thinking of making learners engage in their own learning. Therefore, 120 pre-intermediate Iranian female EFL students were selected through employing of Nelson English Language Test (NELT) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). They were assigned to four different groups-two groups include extroverts and two groups include introverts. Subsequently, they were given five expository topics to write about in a five-week period. While two groups, one extroverted and one introverted enjoyed self-correction, the teacher corrected the writings of the other two groups. The obtained results showed that personality type had no significant effect on learners' progress in writing. Nevertheless, self-correction method showed to be significantly effective at 0.5.
Father Figures in the Novels of Jane Austen
Author: Odeh, Adli
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novels,Fathers,Literary Devices,Authors,Family Life,Parenting Styles,Personality Traits

Miniaturist as Jane Austen is, she has depicted the life of a few families. In her letter to her niece, Anna Austen, she writes: &quot;three or four families in a country village is the very thing to work on&quot;(Chapman's Edition, 1970, P.10). Jane's knowledge about these families is, in no way shallow. It is rich in variation and contrasts. Jane Austen is a great novelist due to the universal significance of her novels. This universal significance is achieved in two ways. First, she creates living characters; she penetrates beneath the surface to the underlying principles of personality. She has a full understanding of human psychology and this enables her to draw intricate and complex natures. She lays bare not only the processes of their minds but also those of the heart. Second, she considers them impartially and shows them compounded both of faults and virtues like human beings. They have a universal significance; they are not national types, but representatives of essential human nature. They reveal the weaknesses and virtues of human nature in every age and country. There has been insufficient attention focused on Jane Austen's father figures: how she created characters and what character types and father figures emerge in the full range of her stories. Characters are centre front in her stories, many of which are chiefly fine vignettes, and in Austen's theoretical statements she has consistently stressed the importance of character creation. The objective of this research is to shed light on those father figures who are the heads of the central families in Jane's six novels.
Comprehension of Discourse Markers and Reading Comprehension
Author: Khatib, Mohamad
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Undergraduate Students,Correlation,Foreign Countries,Language Tests,Scores,Regression (Statistics),Computer Software,Cloze Procedure,Discourse Analysis

According to many research findings, the presence of discourse markers (DMs) enhances readers' comprehension of the texts they read. However, there is a paucity of research on the relationship between knowledge of DMs and reading comprehension (RC) and the present study explores the relationship between them. Knowledge of DMs is measured through examining the subjects' recognition of DMs. To carry out the research, 86 Iranian sophomores majoring in English took a test of DMs alongside a RC test. The correlation between their scores on the two tests was calculated using the software SPSS. The analysis revealed that there is high correlation between the students' knowledge of DMs (i.e., their correct recognition of discourse markers) and their reading comprehension (rxy = 0.71). Moreover, high correlation carries a strong regression power and scores on a test of DMs could be a good indicator of the test takers' reading ability.
From Face-to-Face to Paired Oral Proficiency Interviews: The Nut Is yet to Be Cracked
Author: Birjandi, Parviz
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Oral Language,Language Skills,Interviews,Language Proficiency,Criticism,Language Tests,Test Format,Testing Problems,Interrater Reliability

The pressing need for English oral communication skills in multifarious contexts today is compelling impetus behind the large number of studies done on oral proficiency interviewing. Moreover, given the recently articulated concerns with the fairness and social dimension of such interviews, parallel concerns have been raised as to how most fairly to assess the oral communication skills of examinees, and what factors contribute to more skilled performance. This article sketches theory and practice on two rather competing formats of oral proficiency interviewing: &quot;face-to-face&quot; and &quot;paired&quot;. In the first place, it reviews the related literature on the alleged disadvantages of the individual format. Then, the pros and cons of the paired format are enumerated. It is discussed that the paired format has indeed met some of the criticisms leveled at individual oral proficiency interviewing. However, exploitation of the paired format as an undisputable alternative to the face-to-face format begs the question.
Prospective English Language Teachers' Perceptions of the Target Language and Culture in Relation to Their Socioeconomic Status
Author: Arikan, Arda
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Language Teachers,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,State Universities,College Students,Preservice Teachers,Student Teacher Attitudes,Cultural Awareness,Socioeconomic Status,Knowledge Level,Parent Background,Language Usage,Family Income,Family Characteristics,Influences

Prospective foreign language teachers need to have an accurate knowledge and a positive perception of the target language and target culture so that they can help their students gain further insight on culture by and large. Hence, by means of a questionnaire, prospective English language teachers' (n= 412) perceptions of the target language and culture are sought to be answered in relation to their present knowledge of the target language and culture and their socioeconomic status. The results indicate that the participants see themselves knowledgeable in target language, but insufficient in target culture. Similarly, target culture is much less appreciated than the language. It is also shown that attitudes toward target language, knowledge of target culture, parental use of target language, family income, and father's job have significant influence on prospective teachers' perceptions.
To Make the Rest Participate in It: The Use of Contemplative Pedagogy in the Holocaust and the Arts
Author: Chess, Richard
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Jews,Death,War,European History,Honors Curriculum,Reflection,Writing (Composition),Emotional Response,Inquiry,Art Education,Sense of Community,Learner Engagement,Class Activities,Story Telling,Teaching Methods,Listening,College Students

Self-reflective writing is one method of inquiring into one's inner experience of learning. But what aspects of self are honors students invited to reflect on when they are asked to write informally in their notebooks on what they've just heard or read? Are they asked to explore their &quot;thoughts&quot; and &quot;feelings&quot;? &quot;Feelings&quot;: are they asked to pay attention to and describe physical sensation as well as emotional responses to whatever text is under consideration? Are physical sensations--quickening of breath, sinking feeling in the chest, tightening of the throat--even relevant to critical imaginative thinking? Psychologists, neuroscientists, and educators familiar with the benefits of contemplative practices say that physical sensation is as worthy of investigation as thought, and they suggest that various kinds of contemplative practices, including self-reflective writing, repeating short phrases, concentration on the breath, guided visualizations, deep listening, adapted for the classroom, can help students improve their ability to direct and sustain their attention on an object of inquiry, learn to recognize and live with ambiguity and uncertainty, and develop resilience that is useful to learning (Hart; Palmer &amp; Zajonc; Simmer-Brown &amp; Grace). Richard Chess' experience of integrating contemplative practices into his The Holocaust and the Arts course has convinced him of the value of such practices for these reasons as well as for the purpose of deepening a sense of community among the students. Further, when these practices are clearly linked to the course &quot;content,&quot; they increase the likelihood of students engaging deeply with demanding, difficult (emotionally, intellectually, even spiritually) material. Herein he describes a variety of contemplative exercises he used in teaching The Holocaust and the Arts. The intent of the exercises is to encourage students to observe their own experiences and possibly gain insights into themselves as well as into the experiences of others, including the experiences of Holocaust victims/survivors.
Structuring Cooperative Learning in Teaching English Pronunciation
Author: Chen, Hsuan-Yu
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cooperative Learning,English Instruction,Pronunciation Instruction,Quasiexperimental Design,Pretests Posttests,Language Skills,English Language Learners,High School Students,Intervention,Performance Factors,Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods

Classrooms incorporating Cooperative Learning (CL) structures facilitate a supportive learning environment for English Language Learners (ELLs). Accurate pronunciation by ELLs is important for communication, and also benefits academic achievement. The known benefits of CL for ELLs make it a desirable learning environment to teach pronunciation skills. Thus, sufficient consideration must be given to its incorporation in curricula and delivery format. However, in implementing CL structures in ELL classrooms, attention must be paid to incubation time for CL elements, social and cultural factors. This quasi-experiment, with a pre-post test two-treatment, formed by expanding across program design investigated the impact of a CL environment in the pronunciation skills of ELLs. Results showed that the difference between the improvement of the CL (experimental) group and the control group was not significant enough to claim that CL was a major differential factor. Factors affecting the implementation of CL in ELL classrooms are discussed.