ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Practice and Challenges of Implementing Critical Thinking Skills in Omani Post-Basic EFL Classrooms
Author: Al-Kindi, Naeema Saleh
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Teaching Skills,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Barriers,Classroom Techniques,Grade 11,Grade 12,Questionnaires,Teacher Behavior,Classroom Observation Techniques,Gender Differences,Curriculum Implementation

The purpose of the current study is to investigate post-basic English teachers' practice of critical thinking skills and the challenges they face while teaching skills in EFL classrooms. Three research questions were investigated to achieve this purpose: 1--To what extent do EFL teachers use classroom behaviors that nurture critical thinking at the post basic education schools? 2--Does EFL teachers' practice of classroom behaviors that nurture critical thinking skills vary according to gender? 3--What challenges do EFL teachers face when incorporating critical thinking in their classrooms? The sample was drawn from 12 post basic schools: 3 female schools, 3 male schools and 6 mixed gender schools. The total number of grade 11 and 12 English teachers in these schools is thirty: 15 males and 15 females. To accomplish the objectives and fulfill the purpose of the study, the study employed a questionnaire and an observation form to collect the data needed to answer the research questions. On looking at the post-basic EFL teachers' use of behaviors nurturing critical thinking skills, the study reveals that post-basic English teachers rarely use the behaviors that nurture critical thinking skills. The findings also show no significant difference between males and females in the use of the behaviors that most nurture critical thinking skills, except for one type of behavior. Moreover, the study results report some challenges that EFL teachers face when teaching critical thinking; these are related to the course book, to extra-curricular activities, to class size and to training.
The Representation of Bilingual Mental Lexicon and English Vocabulary Acquisition
Author: Ying, Zhang
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Bilingualism,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Native Language,Vocabulary Development,Language Role,Chinese,Language Proficiency,Linguistic Theory,Teaching Methods,Interference (Language),Language Processing,Psycholinguistics

This paper provides an overview of the theories on the organization and development of L1 mental lexicon and the representation mode of bilingual mental lexicon. It analyzes the structure and characteristics of Chinese EFL learners and their problems in English vocabulary acquisition. On the basis of this, it suggests that English vocabulary teaching should be adjusted to learners' various proficiency levels at different stages. Learners should pay attention to the mediating role of Chinese, cultivate their English thinking pattern, and strengthen the development of in-depth vocabulary knowledge.
The Influence of Social Support on the Prosocial Behavior of College Students: The Mediating Effect Based on Interpersonal Trust
Author: Guo, Yuan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Support Groups,College Students,Trust (Psychology),Prosocial Behavior,Interpersonal Relationship,Behavior Rating Scales,Likert Scales,Student Behavior,Social Influences,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires

A sample of 720 college students from 10 different universities at the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center are investigated using the Social Support Scale, the Prosocial Behavior Scale, and the Interpersonal Trust Scale. Data are analyzed using SPSS20.0 and Amos7.0. Results show that the subjective support and support utilization of college students directly influences prosocial behavior, and indirectly affects prosocial behavior through the influence of emotional trust and quality trust. Additionally, interpersonal trust plays an intermediary role in the influence of social support on pro-social behavior.
Using Online Computer Games in the ELT Classroom: A Case Study
Author: Vasileiadou, Ioanna
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Games,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Vocabulary Development,Grade 4,Elementary School Students,National Curriculum,Foreign Countries,Validity,Teaching Methods,Student Motivation,Literacy,Case Studies,Action Research,Semi Structured Interviews,Control Groups,Pretests Posttests,Experimental Groups,Comparative Analysis

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of computer games in learning English as a foreign language and the extent to which they increase motivation in young students. More particularly, this research investigated the validity of the hypothesis that computer games are a particularly motivating means for young students to learn English vocabulary effectively in comparison to other approaches suggested by the Greek National Curriculum. The grade, in which this research was conducted, was the 4th grade of Primary school as it is a borderline grade in which greater demands are imposed on the students of this age group and language level regarding, mainly, their reading and writing skills as in this class, for the first time, it is explicitly stated by the national curriculum that literacy is one of the three basic axons upon which English language learning should be developed. All in all, the results of this research shed light on the effects which new technologies have on language learning as well as their ability to motivate students to learn English. The results of this research will also be used as a basis upon which specific suggestions for the practical implementation of computer games in the everyday classroom can be made.
The Attitudes of Fifth and Sixth Graders in Kuwait Governmental Schools towards Recreational and Academic Reading in English
Author: Al-Adwani, Amel M.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Reading Attitudes,Recreational Reading,Academic Discourse,Elementary School Students,Gender Differences,Grade 5,Grade 6,Age Differences,Social Media,Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,Educational Policy,Policy Formation,Language Teachers,Reading Skills,Skill Development,Statistical Analysis

The current study is a quantitative research that examined the mean differences of the students' attitude towards reading, based upon several demographic variables (such as gender, grade level and social media devices usage) The researchers used the Students' Reading Attitude Survey (SRAS) as the dependent variable; the sample consisted of 812 young elementary students (from the 5th and 6th grade) randomly selected from public schools. The research findings revealed that Kuwaiti students possess favorable attitudes toward both leisure and academic reading. Girls showed more positive attitudes toward reading than boys did. Younger students from the 5th grade showed more positive attitude toward reading than those of the 6th grade. Nevertheless, the results indicated that having an account in Instagram, Snap chat, or YouTube, or possessing a smart device had a negative effect on attitudes towards reading. This study is expected to help curriculum designers, education policy makers, and English teachers to promote independent reading amongst school students and enable them to move beyond traditional books by encouraging them to form a community of life-long readers in the Arab world.
Morphological Derivations: Learning Difficulties Encountered by Public Secondary School Students in Amman/Jordan
Author: Naseeb, Maha Zouhair
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learning Problems,Morphology (Languages),Suffixes,Public Schools,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Statistical Analysis,Pretests Posttests,Qualitative Research,Grade 12,Interviews,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Teachers

This study aims at investigating the difficulties encountered by public school students in Amman/ Jordan. The study raises the following questions: What are the obstacles that students may encounter in relation to the derivations? What are the causes of such obstacles? To achieve the aims of the study, the researchers manipulate two methods: A quantitative approach in which students of public secondary schools are tested and pre-tested in order to fulfil the reliability and validity of the results and a qualitative approach using interviews with teachers at the same secondary schools and one supervisor in Amman Third Educational Directorate (AL-Qwesmeh). The main results the study reaches can be summed up as follows: students are so poor not only in derivations and derivational suffixes but also in other linguistic topics. In other words, the problem of committing mistakes in derivational suffixes can obviously be regarded as being accumulative problem resulting from other problems which students are encountering in relation to, for example, parts of speech, word order or sentence patterns. Derivations and derivational suffixes should be taught in early stages such as the 8th grade or 9th grade rather than in the last ones like 11th grade or 12th grade.
Salience of Student Written Feedback by Peer-Revision in EFL Writing Class
Author: Lei, Zhu
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Writing Instruction,Feedback (Response),Peer Evaluation,Revision (Written Composition),Program Effectiveness,Student Attitudes,Writing Assignments,Questionnaires,Interviews,College Students,Majors (Students),Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Case Studies

The study investigates the incorporation and effectiveness of student written feedback and their attitudes towards peer feedback in writing class. Taking a qualitative case study approach, this study followes closely a class of thirty-two English juniors over one semester. Data sources include composition drafts, student written feedback and interviews. The data collected demonstrates that students generally accept peer feedback and incorporate most of their peers' comments and suggestions into their writing revision and that peer feedback provides them with more chances to discuss with their peers and understand their peers' suggestions on the composition improvement.
A Study on ESL Teachers&apos; Intercultural Communication Competence
Author: Zhang, Yechun
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Intercultural Communication,Cultural Pluralism,Cultural Awareness,Language Teachers,Multicultural Education,Cultural Differences,Foreign Countries

Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) is the absolute necessity for talents in the 21st century. Meanwhile, the development of ICC competence has already become a new teaching concept, which will penetrate in all aspects of language teaching activities. Indeed, to facilitate language learners to develop ICC, language teachers, especially those teaching English as Second Language (ESL), should first be competent intercultural communicators with great confidence and sufficient experience. The study is undertaken to discover real picture of the ESL teachers' ICC competence by measuring their individual system, episodic system, and relational system. Most ESL teachers under the test are strong in their individual system in that they are highly proficient in English, and they have a good deposit of cultural and linguistic knowledge in target language. In this case, they are mostly likely to achieve communication effectiveness in intercultural communication. Nevertheless, they don't have well-built episodic system and relational system. This is largely due to the facts that they haven't experienced varying intercultural contexts, and the interpersonal relations with foreigners are inclined to be simple. All these factors contribute to ESL teachers' incompetence in accomplishing different tasks in intercultural communication, as well as in intercultural education. Therefore, ESL teachers should improve their ICC through real intercultural practices. Besides, the study also tests statistical significance between ICC and overseas experience, and the significance between ICC and frequency of contact with foreigners.
A Corpus-Based Study on the Use of Three-Word Lexical Bundles in the Academic Writing by Native English and Turkish Non-Native Writers
Author: Ucar, Serpil
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computational Linguistics,Phrase Structure,Teaching Methods,Turkish,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Academic Discourse,Word Frequency,Discourse Analysis,Research Reports,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Native Speakers,Language Usage,Writing for Publication,Comparative Analysis,Journal Articles,Foreign Countries

The utilization of English recurrent word combinations--lexical bundles--play a fundamental role in academic prose (Karabacak &amp; Qin, 2013). There has been highly limited research about comparing Turkish non-native and native English writers' use of lexical bundles in academic prose in terms of frequency, structure and functions of lexical bundles (Bal, 2010; Karabacak &amp; Qin, 2013, Öztürk, 2014). Therefore, this current research was conducted in order to investigate the most frequently used lexical bundles in the academically published articles of Turkish non-native and native speakers of English and to investigate whether there was a significant difference between native and non-native scholars with respect to the frequency, structures and functions of English language lexical bundles. The data were collected from two corpora; 15 scientific articles of native speakers and 15 scientific articles of Turkish advanced writers. The investigation included a quantitative analysis of the use of three-word lexical bundles and a qualitative analysis of the functions and structures they serve. To be more conservative, three-word lexical bundles which occur 40 times per million words and appear in 5 different texts were described a lexical bundle in this current research. The findings revealed that Turkish non-native writers showed underuse and less variation in the use of lexical bundles in their academic prose compared to native speakers.
A Phenomenological Study: The Impacts of Developing Phonetic Awareness through Technological Resources on English Language Learners&apos; (ELL) Communicative Competences
Author: Fabre-Merchán, Paolo
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Phenomenology,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Communicative Competence (Languages),Phonology,Linguistic Theory,Pronunciation,Phonemic Awareness,Interlanguage,Language Variation,Information Technology,Constructivism (Learning),Epistemology,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries

Throughout our experience within the English Language Teaching (ELT) field and while acquiring a second language in English a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) settings, we have noticed that one of the main perceived challenges for English Language Learners (ELLs) is to effectively communicate. Most of the time, this issue comes from the concern or fear to mispronounce any word, considering that English manages some variations on its phonetic alphabet, which differs from other languages. Therefore, it becomes necessary for ELLs the acquisition of English phonemic awareness to improve their pronunciation, fluency, and confidence when orally communicating in English. Basing on the interlanguage hypothesis, phonemic awareness, English phonology theories, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and resources, this study aims to analyze: a.) to what extend does phonemic awareness development influence on students' communication skills? b.) How effective is the implementation of technology to develop phonemic awareness? To do so, a phenomenological study, based on the constructivism epistemology, was conducted including a deep revision of the existed literature, various studies previously applied, and the researchers' experience within the teaching and professional field to examine the impacts of developing phonetic awareness through technological resources on English language learners' (ELL) communicative competences.
Effects of Electronic Reading Environments&apos; Structure on L2 Reading Comprehension
Author: Al-Seghayer, Khalid
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Publishing,Second Language Learning,Reading Comprehension,English (Second Language),Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Multiple Choice Tests,Reading Tests,Reading Skills,Language Tests,Mixed Methods Research,Textbooks,Program Effectiveness,Adults

This study examines the effects of an electronic reading environment's structure on second language (L2) reading comprehension. In particular, this study explores whether clarifying the underlying structure of an electronic text, along with the ways in which its units or nodes are organized and interrelated results in better comprehension as well as whether L2 reading proficiency affects the comprehension of electronic text. In this study, 40 English as a second language (ESL) learners, grouped into proficient and less-proficient groups based on their scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language's (TOEFL's) Reading section, were asked to read two electronic texts using computerized programs classified as either &quot;well structured&quot; or &quot;less structured.&quot; To assess the efficacy of each type of reading environment, two tests--a multiple-choice test and a mapping of main ideas and details (MOMID) test--were developed and administered to the participants after they read each text. The results of these tests were analyzed using a paired-samples &quot;t&quot;-test and a two-way (proficiency level by computerized reading program) mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings revealed that well-structured electronic texts can aid ESL readers in developing a more coherent mental representation of the electronic texts' content, thereby increasing their reading comprehension. Furthermore, well-structured electronic texts are more helpful for less-proficient readers than for more-proficient readers. These findings have significant pedagogical and technological implications for L2 reading instructors and instructional designers.
Engaging ESP Students with Brain-Based Learning for Improved Listening Skills, Vocabulary Retention and Motivation
Author: Salem, Ashraf Atta Mohamed Safein
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English for Special Purposes,Teaching Methods,Listening Skills,Cognitive Style,Vocabulary Development,Retention (Psychology),Second Language Learning,Brain Hemisphere Functions,Neurolinguistics,Intelligence,Business Administration Education,Positive Attitudes,Language Tests,Skill Development,Learning Motivation,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Listening Comprehension Tests,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis,Majors (Students),College Students

The concept of teaching and learning has changed drastically over the past few years by the virtue of both research results carried out in the fields of second/foreign language learning and acquisition. Of all these researches, findings related to the brain structure and functions in cooperation with cognitive aspects of the education process, including the study of learning styles and intelligence have struck the language learning domain. A due understanding of learners' learning styles, emotional preferences as well as their memory functions help teachers to build their teaching practices to optimize students' learning. Brain Based Learning Approach (BBLA) is a natural, motivating, and a positive way that supports and maximizes learning and teaching. The current study implements Brain Based Learning Approach to improve listening skills of Business students, vocabulary retention and establish positive attitudes with regards to their brain dominance and learning styles. To achieve these aims, listening skills test, vocabulary retention test, adapted form of Robert Gardner Motivation Scale, were developed and used. The sample of the study consists of thirty-six Business majors. Findings show that Brain Based Learning is an effective approach for developing listening skills, consolidate vocabulary recalling and retention. It also helps maximize motivation towards learning language skills.
The Effects of an Experimental Training Program for Teachers of Vocational English Using Concentrated Language Encounter Instructional Processes and Reciprocal Peer Teaching Strategies
Author: Rattanavich, Saowalak
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocational English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Discourse Analysis,Peer Teaching,Teaching Methods,Language Teachers,Listening Skills,Speech Skills,Graphs,Statistical Analysis,Language Usage,Reading Skills,Writing Skills,Teacher Attitudes,Positive Attitudes,Outcomes of Education,Foreign Countries,Quasiexperimental Design,Questionnaires,Pretests Posttests

This experimental study aims to investigate the effects of three vocational English classes, each one academic semester in duration, and using the concentrated language encounter approach and reciprocal peer teaching strategies. This study employed a time-series design with one pre-experiment and two post-experiments. Discourse and frequency analysis were performed in relation to the teachers' English language teaching performance and their students' English listening and speaking performance. The students' reading and writing tests were subjected to analysis of variance with repeated measures, including plotted line graphs. The results revealed a tendency among the teachers and students to increase the frequency of their English language use in each class. The quality of the students' reading and writing were also significantly improved. All teachers expressed positive opinions about the experimental teaching treatment and its effect on the students' English.