ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation of Classroom Activities and Exercises in ELT Classroom for General Purposes Course
Author: Zohrabi, Mohammad
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Class Activities,English for Academic Purposes,Questionnaires,Interviews,Observation,Student Attitudes,Program Evaluation,Undergraduate Students,College Faculty

It is through effective implementation of activities and exercises which students can be motivated and consequently lead to language learning. However, as an insider, the experience of teaching English for General Purposes (EGP) course indicates that it has some problems which need to be modified. In order to evaluate the EGP course, questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations were used. The results of the study indicate that since the students' needs and objectives are not fulfilled they hold low attitudes toward this course. Also, since the emphasis is on reading and doing exercises, students do not like to participate in performing activities and exercises. Task-based activities, communicative use of language and pair and group work are missing. Reading passages and exercises are presented without any practice and free production. The only skill which is used is the reading and consequently speaking, listening, and writing skills have been ignored and forgotten which ultimately bores most of the students. This study can be useful for language teachers who want to gain hands-on experience of executing classroom activities and exercises.
The Effect of Collocation on Meaning Representation of Adjectives Such as Big and Large in Translation from Two Languages Used in the Article to English Language Texts
Author: Minaabad, Malahat Shabani
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Translation,Phrase Structure,Form Classes (Languages),Second Languages,Context Effect,Semantics,Nouns,English,Indo European Languages,Turkic Languages

Translation is the process to transfer written or spoken source language (SL) texts to equivalent written or spoken target language (TL) texts. Translation studies (TS) relies so heavily on a concept of meaning, that one may claim that there is no TS without any reference to meanings. People's understanding of the meaning of sentences is far more reliable than their understanding of the meaning of words. Since what people know when they know the meaning of a word is important, but the skill of incorporating that word appropriately into meaningful linguistic contexts is more important. Our interest here lies in the shift of emphasis from referential or dictionary meaning to contextual meaning of adjectives such as &quot;big&quot; and &quot;large&quot; in translation to English language texts or vice versa. Since &quot;big&quot; and &quot;large&quot; are synonyms, it is not surprising that they can be used to describe many of the same nouns. However, they are not perfect synonyms, and there are some differences in the distribution of these adjectives which make some problems for translators especially from those languages which these kinds of differences are not so obvious.
Contribution to Vocabulary Learning via Mobiles
Author: Khazaie, Saeed
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocabulary Development,Handheld Devices,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Young Adults,Telecommunications,Pictorial Stimuli,Recall (Psychology),Second Language Instruction,Multimedia Instruction,Scores,Short Term Memory,Visual Perception,Instructional Materials,Verbal Ability,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Cognitive Ability,Institutes (Training Programs),Regression (Statistics)

As mobile connectedness continues to sweep across the landscape, the value of deploying mobile technology at the service of learning and teaching seems to be both self-evident and unavoidable. To this end, this study employed multimedia to develop three types of vocabulary learning materials. Due to the importance of short-term memory in the realm of vocabulary learning, careful consideration was given to the L2 learners' different visual and verbal short-term memories. 158 L2 learners aged 18-23 participated in the major phases of vocabulary learning experiment through mobile. Based on their scores on the English Vocabulary and Recall tests and statistical analysis of the results it was revealed that L2 learners with high-visual and high-verbal abilities find it easier to learn the content presented with both pictorial and written annotations. However, L2 learners with low-visual and low-verbal abilities benefit from learning materials presented without annotations. Furthermore, delivery of learning materials with pictorial annotation to learners with high-visual ability and the delivery of learning materials with written annotation to learners with high-verbal ability result in better vocabulary learning. The findings of this study could perform as a roadmap in creating learning materials for mobile learning English language.
Determining the Evaluative Criteria of an Argumentative Writing Scale
Author: Nimehchisalem, Vahid
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Evaluation Criteria,Persuasive Discourse,Writing Evaluation,Measures (Individuals),Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Writing Tests,Essays,Questionnaires,Factor Analysis,Mixed Methods Research,Check Lists

Even though many writing scales have been developed, instructors, educational administrators or researchers may have to develop new scales to fit their specific testing situation. In so-doing, one of the initial steps to be taken is to determine the evaluative criteria on which the scale is supposed to be based. As a part of a project that was proposed to develop a genre-based writing scale, a survey was carried out to investigate Malaysian lecturers' views on the evaluative criteria to be considered in evaluating argumentative essays. For this purpose, a group of English as a Second Language (ESL) lecturers (n = 88) were administered a questionnaire. The subscales of organization, content and language skills were recommended by factor analysis. A fourth subscale, task fulfillment, was added as a result of the qualitative analysis of the data. The findings can be useful for language teaching or assessing purposes.
The Effects of Planning on Writing Narrative Task Performance with Low and High EFL Proficiency
Author: Rahimpour, Massoud
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Language Proficiency,Statistical Analysis,Writing Research,Writing (Composition),Writing Instruction,Student Evaluation,Cognitive Processes,Difficulty Level,Writing Achievement,Accuracy,Language Fluency,College Students,Measures (Individuals)

The impetus of the present study was to scrutinize the impact of planning and proficiency on 172 EFL learners' written task performance regarding concept load, fluency, complexity and accuracy. Planning was operationalized at two levels: pretask planning (PTP) and online planning (OLP). Participants of this study were two groups, high and low proficiency learners who were randomly chosen. The first group was required to plan for their performance for 10 minutes and take notes before they performed the tasks, whilst the participants in the second group began writing immediately and took time as long as they like. The participants' performances were then analyzed utilizing paired samples t-test. The results of statistical analysis showed that low-proficiency learners appear to benefit more from planning time with respect to concept load, fluency, and complexity. On the other hand, high-proficiency learners were advantaged by planning time concerning concept load and accuracy.
On the Interaction of Test Washback and Teacher Assessment Literacy: The Case of Iranian EFL Secondary School Teachers
Author: Kiomrs, Razavipour
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary School Teachers,Literacy,Case Studies,Teacher Characteristics,Summative Evaluation,English (Second Language),English Instruction,Questionnaires,Teacher Competency Testing,Student Evaluation,Teaching Skills,Knowledge Level,Familiarity,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Multiple Choice Tests,Teacher Attitudes

It is by now well established that teacher characteristics play a major role in the way high stakes tests impact education (Alderson and Hamp-Lyons, 1996). What remains an open question, however, is specifying the type of characteristics that have the potential to moderate the backwash effects of tests. This study was designed to isolate the effects of teachers' assessment literacy in moderating the washback effects of summative tests in the EFL context of Iran. A test of assessment literacy and a questionnaire on English language teaching practices were administered to 53 EFL secondary school teachers. Results show that teachers are suffering from a poor knowledge base in assessment and no matter how assessment literate they are; they do tailor their English teaching and testing to the demands of external tests. However, more assessment literate EFL teachers seem to be more likely to include non-washback practices in their English teaching. The implications for teacher training and teachers' professional development programs are then discussed.
Literature in EFL/ESL Classroom
Author: Khatib, Mohammad
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Practices,English (Second Language),Grammar Translation Method,Communicative Competence (Languages),Literature,Instructional Materials,Integrated Curriculum,Literature Reviews,Teaching Methods,Teaching Models,Educational Strategies,English Instruction

This paper is a review of literature on how literature can be integrated as a language teaching material in EFL/ESL classes. First, it tracks down the place of literature in language classes from the early Grammar Translation Method (GTM) to Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) era. The paper then discusses the reasons for the demise and resurrection of literature as an input for language classes. After that the reasons for and against the use of literature in EFL/ESL classes are enumerated and discussed. For so doing, the researchers draw upon recent ideas on language teaching practice and theories. Finally in a practical move, this paper reviews the past and current approaches to teaching literature in language teaching classes. Five methodological models for teaching literature are proposed.
Language Characteristics and Written Requirements of the Maritime English Correspondence
Author: Shen, Jiang
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Marine Education,Industry,English (Second Language),Letters (Correspondence),Language Usage,Written Language,Rhetoric,Writing Skills,Language Proficiency,Business Communication

Aiming at the requirements of the maritime English correspondence, the language characteristics of the maritime English correspondence are analyzed in this article, and the factors influencing the written skills of the maritime English correspondence are discussed, and the principles of &quot;7C&quot; including the courtesy, the consideration, the completeness, the conciseness, the clarity, the concreteness, and the correctness should be utilized in the written of the maritime English correspondence, and the contents are listed in one complete maritime English correspondence, with their functions, that could help to enhance maritime staffs' written capacity.
From Intercultural Awareness to Intercultural Empathy
Author: Zhu, Honglin
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Cultural Awareness,Empathy,Barriers,Bias

This article is concerned with the incorporation of teaching culture into EFL teaching and learning, with a focus on the cultivation of culturally empathic ability for Chinese learners. The article first holds a discussion on the significance and basic concepts concerning intercultural empathy. Furthermore, it makes an attempt to analyze the barriers encountered by Chinese learners in developing culturally empathic ability. Finally, it tries to offer some suggestions and techniques.
The Relationship between Listening Strategies Used by Iranian EFL Freshman University Students and Their Listening Proficiency Levels
Author: Bidabadi, Farinaz Shirani
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Programs,College Freshmen,Listening,Listening Skills,Learning Strategies,Correlation,Predictor Variables,Questionnaires,Student Placement,Language Tests,Metacognition,Statistical Analysis

The purpose of the current study was to identify Iranian EFL freshman university students' listening proficiency levels and the listening strategies they employed to investigate the relationship between these two variables. A total of 92 freshmen were involved in this study. The Oxford Placement Test was employed to identify the learners' listening proficiency levels and a Listening Strategy Questionnaire was used to identify the strategies they employed in listening. The descriptive analysis of the listening strategy questionnaire revealed that Iranian EFL freshman university students at advanced, intermediate, and lower-intermediate levels employed meta-cognitive strategies more frequently and actively; followed by cognitive and socio-affective listening strategies. The Pearson Correlation analysis also indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between the listening strategies employed by advanced, intermediate, and lower-intermediate freshmen and their listening proficiency levels at p&lt;0.01 and p&lt;0.05 levels respectively.
The Relationship between Peer Assessment and the Cognition Hypothesis
Author: Khabiri, Mona
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Peer Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Females,Rating Scales,Difficulty Level,Oral Language,Cognitive Processes,Schemata (Cognition),Feedback (Response)

It is believed that peer assessment equips learners with a skill set withheld from them by teacher assessments that enhances language learning. However, the benefits of peer assessment are limited to how well learners can conduct peer assessment tasks. Therefore, improving the efficacy of peer assessment is essential. One way to increase the consistency of peer assessment is to increase learner attention during the assessment task. The Cognition Hypothesis states that L2 learners engaged in complex tasks pay attention to more complex linguistic structures; as a result, learning increases (Robinson, 2001a, 2001b, 2005). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether complex tasks, as outlined by the Cognition Hypothesis, improve the accuracy of peer assessment. Thirty female EFL learners conducted three speaking tasks. Each task had a different level of complexity, and participants were assessed by their peers using a rating scale. The results indicated that the absolute mean deviations for the items on the rating scale decreased as task complexity increased. In other words, the findings showed that as task complexity increased, there was more agreement among the assessors. This indicated that peer assessment was more accurate and consistent for more complex tasks.
Code-Switching in Iranian Elementary EFL Classrooms: An Exploratory Investigation
Author: Rezvani, Ehsan
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Code Switching (Language),Second Language Learning,Foreign Countries,Indo European Languages,English (Second Language),Bilingual Teachers,Language Teachers,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Educational Quality,Teacher Education Programs,Elementary School Students,Elementary School Teachers,Classroom Communication,Teacher Student Relationship,Native Language,Language Usage

This paper presents the results of a small-scale exploratory investigation of code-switching (CS) between English and Farsi by 4 Iranian English foreign language (EFL) teachers in elementary level EFL classrooms in a language school in Isfahan, Iran. Specifically, the present study aimed at exploring the syntactical identification of switches and the functions that the switches served. The data consist of field notes and scripts of audio-recordings of the teachers' talk collected during classroom observations. The findings suggest that CS is a frequently applied strategy and a valuable resource for bilingual teachers in foreign language classrooms, and its judicious and skillful use can boost the quality of teaching. Moreover, it was found that EFL teachers in this study tended to use the learners' L1 (i.e., Farsi) to serve a number of pedagogic and social functions, which contributed to better teacher-student classroom interaction. Implications may be drawn for language teacher education programs and for further research on systematic investigation into actual classroom practices.
Comparative Effectiveness of Contextual and Structural Method of Teaching Vocabulary
Author: Behlol, Malik
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Comparative Analysis,Vocabulary Development,Language Processing,Teaching Methods,Context Effect,Cues,Oral Language,Written Language,Language Fluency,Student Role,Statistical Analysis,Learning Processes,High Achievement,Low Achievement,Pretests Posttests,Scores,Foreign Countries,Urdu,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Secondary School Students,Native Language,Instructional Effectiveness,Teacher Education,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Secondary School Teachers

The study was conducted to find out effectiveness of contextual an, structural method of teaching vocabulary in English at secondary level. It was an experimental study in which the pretest posttest design was used. The population of the study was the students of secondary classes studying in Government secondary schools of Rawalpindi District. Purposive and random sampling was applied to select the school and subjects. The significance of difference between the scores of groups at 0.05 level was tested applying t test. The study revealed that the contextual method is more useful for high achievers (HA) whereas structural method is more useful for average and low achievers. The HA performed better with the contextual method due to study of words in different contexts and taking help from contextual clues that has prompted spoken and written fluency. Better performance of the average and low achievers with the structural method was due to the morphological analyses of a word, role of the students as the partner in the learning process, generation and active processing of vocabulary, provision of multiple exposure of different intensity for practice and personalization of word learning.
Use of Syntactic Elaboration Techniques to Enhance Comprehensibility of EST Texts
Author: Rahimi, Mohammad Ali
Date: 2011-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English for Science and Technology,Syntax,Reading Comprehension,Civil Engineering,Statistical Analysis,Statistical Significance,Teaching Methods,Hypothesis Testing,Postsecondary Education

The current study examined differential effects of two pre-modification types, syntactic elaboration and syntactic simplification (at the level of syntax and irrespective of problematic lexis), on EST students' reading comprehension. The purpose was to see whether a priori syntactic elaborative adjustment, given its advantages over simplification, can augment comprehensibility of scientific texts in order to replace simplification adjustment. To carry out the study, three versions of 5 passages including Baseline, syntactically simplified, and syntactically elaborated were provided. All the five passages were relevant to civil engineering and they were modified using two above-mentioned techniques. The subjects of the study were composed of 185 homogenous civil engineering students who participated in different phases. The results revealed that syntactic simplification and syntactic elaboration procedures operated nearly in the same way in orienting the EST texts toward comprehensibility. The results of the study even indicated that students benefited more from elaborated than simplified texts although it was not statistically significant. Therefore, the study supports the view that syntactic elaborative adjustment can be exercised in advance on EST materials for pedagogical purposes since it increases the reading comprehension at the same time keeps unfamiliar syntactic units intact to be learned by EST readers.
Difficulties Encountered by Students in the Learning and Usage of Mathematical Terminology: A Critical Literature Review
Author: Mulwa, Ednah Chebet
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocabulary,Mathematical Concepts,Mathematical Aptitude,Literature Reviews,English (Second Language),Content Analysis,Mathematics Curriculum,Misconceptions,Language Role,Arithmetic,Fractions,Number Concepts,Geometric Concepts,Textbook Content,Textbook Evaluation,Change Strategies,Elementary School Students,Foreign Countries

This study sought to review literature pertinent to difficulties encountered by students in the learning and usage of mathematical terminology. The need to carry out this study arose from the concern by the Kenya National Examinations Council, and the general public, over the poor annual results in mathematics. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which the meanings of some mathematical terms are understood and/or confused by students for whom English is a second language. The basis of this study was the constructivist theory by J. Bruner and the cognitive flexibility theory of R. Spiro, P. Heltovitch and R. Coulson which advocates for teaching learners to construct the meanings of mathematical terms. This study's objectives were achieved through the use of document analysis. Data analysis involved document review. The findings of this study showed that students have difficulties in using mathematical terms and their related concepts. Possible ways of teaching these terms so as to generate more meaning to the learners were also suggested. It is hoped that this will assist mathematics teachers, curriculum planners and textbook authors to counter the poor performance in the subject in Kenya.
Educational Leadership and Common Discipline Issues of Elementary School Children and How to Deal with Them
Author: Alsubaie, Merfat Ayesh
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Student Behavior,Behavior Problems,Discipline,Discipline Policy,Literature Reviews,Performance Factors,Classroom Environment,Classroom Techniques

Discipline issues are obstacles towards childhood learning in elementary school settings. There are a number of factors which positively and negatively affect a student's behavior in the classroom, and past literature was explored and an analysis of that literature performed in order to obtain a clear idea about the techniques, relationships, and structures that are conducive towards fostering positive behavior among children in the classroom, such as leadership of teachers and administration in schools. Close coordination between parents and teachers, the building and maintaining of a trustful environment in the class, a solid support structure that teachers can rely on, and good methods for communication between teachers and students all help in creating a positive learning environment and reducing the behavioral issues exhibited by children that can slow down the pace of learning.