ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Influencing Students' Pronunciation and Willingness to Communicate through Interpersonal Audio Discussions
Author: Lepore, Cindy E.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pronunciation,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,French,Computer Mediated Communication,Group Discussion,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Correlation,Communication Skills,Student Attitudes,Technology Uses in Education,Mixed Methods Research,Questionnaires,Pretests Posttests,Student Journals,Feedback (Response),College Students,Language Skills,Skill Development

This article discusses a study that investigated pronunciation development in second language learners by monitoring willingness to communicate variables. Students (N = 37) in a second-semester, introductory French course participated in online interpersonal audio discussions with classmates through VoiceThread. Pronunciation development and willingness to communicate were monitored through self-assessment after completing each activity. Analysis revealed that participation in the activities combined with a feedback-supported environment resulted in an overall increase in perceived pronunciation abilities that positively correlated with willingness to communicate variables. Additionally, the pedagogical benefits of using audio discussions to improve pronunciation are presented.
Changes in Beliefs about Language Learning and Teaching by Foreign Language Teachers in an Applied Linguistics Course
Author: Abreu, Laurel
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Applied Linguistics,Graduate Students,Student Attitudes,Questionnaires,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Attitude Change,Masters Programs,Difficulty Level

This article presents the results of a study on the language learning and teaching beliefs of graduate students enrolled in an applied linguistics course in a language teaching program. Ten participants completed a questionnaire at the start of the course and another at the end; their responses were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Following the course, changes were identified in the participants' beliefs about the difficulty of learning a second language and their goals for their future students.
Extending the Classroom: Digital Micro-Narratives for Novice Language Learners
Author: Kronenberg, Felix A.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novices,Electronic Learning,Electronic Publishing,Story Telling,Narration,Second Language Learning,Teaching Methods,Discourse Modes,Social Media,Incidence,Feedback (Response),Writing Processes,Media Selection,Task Analysis,Educational Practices,Educational Strategies

Digital Storytelling offers many advantages for language learning, especially within a project-based framework. In this article, the use of Digital Micro-Narratives is proposed as particularly useful for second language learners at the novice level. As a sub-genre of Digital Storytelling, Digital Micro-Narratives focus more on frequently updated content and continuous feedback and less on crafting a flawless final product, as is the case with more traditional Digital Storytelling. The value of Digital Micro-Narratives lies within a procedural framework that fosters agency, authenticity, the use of multiple modes and media, and which addresses individual learner differences and inspires identity formation.
Perception of a Regional Spanish Sound: The Case of /s/-Weakening
Author: George, Angela
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pronunciation,Spanish,Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Dialects,College Students,Sociolinguistics,Teaching Methods,Questionnaires,Listening,Statistical Analysis

While taking foreign language classes or interacting in the target language community, language learners will be exposed to dialectal differences. This paper addresses how adult learners of Spanish in beginning, intermediate, and advanced Spanish courses at a large US university perceived a common sociolinguistic feature of Spanish, /s/-weakening, which can vary for stylistic, gender, and geographical reasons. The implications for teaching and learning foreign languages will be addressed, noting the importance of teaching common sociolinguistic features that are salient to native speakers but less salient to second language learners.
Implementation of Web-Based Education in Egypt through Cloud Computing Technologies and Its Effect on Higher Education
Author: El-Seoud, M. Samir Abou
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Integrated Learning Systems,Web Based Instruction,Electronic Learning,Asynchronous Communication,Comprehension,College Students,Instructional Effectiveness,Internet,Information Management,Information Storage,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Computer Assisted Testing,Cooperation,Student Participation,Video Technology,Computer Mediated Communication,Visual Aids,Computer Software,Teaching Methods

The information technology educational programs at most universities in Egypt face many obstacles that can be overcome using technology enhanced learning. An open source Moodle eLearning platform has been implemented at many public and private universities in Egypt, as an aid to deliver e-content and to provide the institution with various possibilities for implementing asynchronous e-learning web-based modules. In this paper the use of web-based education through cloud computing is presented. The evaluation showed that it has strongly contributed to the effectiveness of e- learning by improving the quality of students' comprehension.
Nurturing Opportunities for Educational Leadership: How Affordance and Leadership Interconnect
Author: Margolin, Ilana
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Ethnography,Affordances,Instructional Leadership,Superintendents,Teacher Educators,Mentors,College Graduates,Correlation,Models,Participative Decision Making,Sustainability,Partnerships in Education,Student College Relationship,Longitudinal Studies,Transcripts (Written Records),Cooperation

This qualitative ethnographic study focused on the affordances that facilitated the emergence of leadership, capturing a range of perspectives on leadership and leadership development of four groups: district superintendents; teacher-educators; mentor-teachers and graduates. The term &quot;affordances&quot; implies a reciprocal relationship between organisms and features of their environment thus, becomes a critical element in leadership. The findings indicate that (a) there seems to be relationships between affordance and leadership development, but they are not obvious; (b) the kind of leadership educators adopt is based on previously experienced models; (c) variations in the leadership styles educators adopt are defined by the models they create and their exploitation of affordances. An implication of the study is that one of the leader's main roles is the establishment of infrastructures and affordances with myriad accessible opportunities for action. The ultimate goal is to create distributive leadership in which the practice of leadership is shared and realized within extended formal top-down and informal bottom-up groupings and networks, and endures beyond a few leaders' tenure.
The Success of Students' Loans in Financing Higher Education in Tanzania
Author: Nyahende, Veronica R.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Financial Aid,Educational Finance,Foreign Countries,Case Studies,Decision Making,College Attendance,Guidelines,Political Influences,Economic Factors,Family Influence,Costs,Money Management,Loan Default,Questionnaires,Interviews,Content Analysis,Statistical Analysis

Students' loans in financing higher education in Tanzania have been subjected to many researches. However, less information is available on how the success of students' loans in financing higher education can be revealed. Therefore the purpose of this study is to examine the factors indicating the success of students' loans in financing higher education in Tanzania. Using data collected from a larger cross sectional survey in Tanzania, this study found that students loans in financing higher education in Tanzania is successful as it increases enrollment of students in higher learning institutions, the study also revealed that Higher Education Students' Loans Board (HESLB) is employing enough efforts to recover loans granted to loans beneficiaries since 1994 as well as the guidelines and criteria for granting loans was found to be satisfactory. The study recommend that, enrollment decision making has been affected by other factors other than a successful students' loan financing, these factors includes political factors, economical factors, family influences and school impacts. Therefore for better understanding of the successful students' loans financing in Tanzania these factors need to be considered too. To ensure more effective recovery of already issued students loans since 1994, HESLB is recommended to institute a sound financial management which include setting appropriate interest rates to cover inflation in order to maintain the capital value of the loan fund and covering administrative costs as well as presence of adequate legal framework to ensure that students' loans are legally enforceable to reduce default among loan beneficiaries. Guidelines and criteria should be improved to be more effective such as the inclusion of economics factors to measure the economic ability among loans applicants for instance presence of collateral security.
Providing Effective Feedback to EFL Student Teachers
Author: Ali, Holi Ibrahim Holi
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Feedback (Response),Student Teachers,Mentors,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires,Instructional Effectiveness,Student Surveys,Practicums

Feedback on school practicum is of utmost importance for student teachers to help them to develop their pedagogical and teaching skills. This paper attempts to collect data from both student teachers and their mentors in an ELT teacher training programme in Oman to answer the questions which are raised by this study: 1) What kind of feedback do student teachers receive in their practicum? 2) What are the student teachers' and mentors' views of feedback on the practicum? 3) What type of practicum feedback is more effective, oral or written? This study also aims to offer practical ideas that would empower both student teachers and supervisors in improving the practice of giving and receiving feedback in practicum. The data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The statistical approach that is adopted in the questionnaire depends on frequency and percentage. The item of high frequency and percentage reflects the most significant, required answers for the three study questions. The findings indicated that student teachers and their mentors perceived their feedback practices on practicum positively; however the student teachers believed that both types of feedback are important to them but they are in favour of written feedback more than oral one. The study offered some pedagogical implications and recommendations with regard to feedback on practicum.
Education as a Tool for Peace? The King Abdullah Scholarship Program and Perceptions of Saudi Arabia and UAE Post 9/11
Author: Hilal, Kholoud T.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Public Opinion,Terrorism,Peace,Scholarships,Student Financial Aid,College Students,Study Abroad,Student Attitudes,Interviews,Foreign Students

Since 9/11, Saudi Arabia has made significant attempts to change its public image because of its alleged association with global terrorism. Given its charitable interests in promoting education as a tool for peace within the Arab region, it has established the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP), considered to be the most heavily endowed overseas scholarship program ever offered by a nation-state. Since 2005, over 120,000 Saudi university students have been financed by this scholarship to pursue their university studies abroad. This investigation concerns student perceptions of Saudi and Emirati students studying abroad ten years after the tragedy of 9/11. It draws from 30 face-to-face interviews of international students in Australia about their perceptions and viewpoints of Saudi Arabia and the Arab World pre- and post 9/11. It centers on Saudi and Emirati students and suggests that education can be a tool for peace.
Comprehension of Architectural Construction through Multimedia Active Learning
Author: Mas, Ángeles
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Active Learning,Multimedia Instruction,Architecture,Learning Experience,Learning Processes,Classroom Communication,Student Motivation,Construction (Process),Independent Study,Electronic Learning,Learning Activities,Computer Simulation,Visual Aids,Graphic Arts,College Students,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness

This study presents an investigation about the use of multimedia procedures applied to architectural construction teaching. We have applied current technological resources, aiming to rationalize and optimize the active learning process. The experience presented to students is very simple and yet very effective. It has consisted in a simulation of an actual building situation, so that they may participate more actively in their learning experience. Conclusions are extremely positive because students surprisingly involve themselves, and they are able to visualize and understand much better the reality of the construction, which increases their motivation and consequently reinforces their learning.
The Current Situation of Learning and Life of Students Changing Majors in Universities under the Multi-Campus University Mode and Existing Problems--Taking Students Changing Majors in Sichuan Agricultural University as a Case Study
Author: Li, Yu
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Majors (Students),Change,Multicampus Colleges,Case Studies,Questionnaires,Student Surveys,Academic Achievement,Student Interests

This paper makes a survey on the subjects of undergraduates changing majors in Sichuan Agricultural University who entered the university respectively in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and comes to a basic conclusion on the learning and life condition of students changing majors, that is, good overall adaptation yet low excellence rate; difficulty in taking a course and too heavy pressure in learning; relatively too disperse accommodation and bad sense of belonging in class; a series of problems in unblocked information acquisition, especially prominent problems existing in students who change majors in different campuses.
Leadership Development and Language Learning: A Foundational Framework
Author: Long, Sheri Spaine
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership Training,Second Language Instruction,Modern Language Curriculum,Feedback (Response),Focus Groups,Armed Forces,Military Training,Teachers,Students

The ACTFL [American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages] 21st Century Skills Map (2011) proposes incorporating &quot;leadership and responsibility&quot; into language learning (LL). This study offers a foundational framework for combined LL and leadership development (LD) and contains a snapshot of the presence of LD in the language curriculum and observations and attitudes regarding LD in LL courses (using feedback forms and focus groups) at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in 2012. Results suggest a two dimension structure to inform LL (a) generic vs. discipline-specific LD, and (b) implicit vs. explicit incorporation of LD. Lower frequency of explicit, discipline-specific types of LD led to a department-wide exploration of LD and LL integration. These results can inform all levels of language instruction across myriad educational settings that seek to incorporate leadership.
Mutually Beneficial Service Learning: Language Teacher Candidates in a Local Community Center
Author: Hildebrandt, Susan A.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Spanish,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Service Learning,Community Centers,Preservice Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Spanish Speaking,Low Income Groups,Experiential Learning,Elementary School Students,Qualitative Research,Barriers

This article reports on a project designed to provide mutually beneficial solutions to challenges faced by world language teacher candidates, their preparation program, and a local community center. The project provided opportunities for teacher candidates enrolled in a world language (WL) teacher education course to complete clinical experiences through a service learning experience at the center. Teaching Spanish to children from low-income families provided candidates valuable classroom experiences with younger learners. This article explores benefits and challenges of WL teacher candidates teaching Spanish in a local community center.
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements: An Effective Tool for Improving Language Learning within and outside the Classroom
Author: Moeller, Aleidine J.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Self Control,Learning Processes,Educational Indicators,National Organizations,Educational Objectives,Curriculum Design,Units of Study,Second Language Programs,Student Centered Learning,World Views,Learning Motivation,Language Usage,Personal Autonomy,Independent Study,Language Proficiency,Teaching Methods,Metacognition

This article explores the theoretical foundation of the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements, developed by the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), describes why and how to use these progress indicators in language education and reveals the value and impact on student learning when effectively integrated in the language classroom. These Can-Do statements serve as learning targets to document what learners &quot;can do&quot; with languages and can provide teachers and language programs with learning objectives for curriculum and unit design that are user-friendly, learner-centered and promote reflection and self-regulation aimed at involving the learner directly in the learning process. An exemplar for classroom implementation demonstrates how the teacher can involve learners in the reflective learning process to become self-regulated, autonomous language learners.
Secondary School Students' Reading Anxiety in a Second Language
Author: Ismail, Sadiq Abdulwahed Ahmed
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Grammar,Vocabulary Development,Language Proficiency,Anxiety,Reading Attitudes,Secondary School Students,Focus Groups,Interviews,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Females,Science Instruction,Art Education,Reading Strategies,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Grade 11

Developing an appropriate competence in reading in English as a second language is a key factor for subsequent academic success. This study investigated second language reading anxiety of secondary school students. A questionnaire was distributed to 72 female students and focus-group interviews were conducted with 19 volunteer students. Overall results reveal significant differences between the levels of reading anxiety reported by students relative to their general area of study (viz., science or arts). All the recorded differences were in favor of students in the science track. Most of the sources of reading anxiety that were identified by the students were related to language proficiency, specifically knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical rules.
Those Were Some of the Hottest Days of My Life: The Genesis of SCOLT
Author: Swanson, Pete
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Language Teachers,Conferences (Gatherings),Teacher Associations

The following article recounts the creation and development of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) through the words of one of its founders, Dr. Herman Bostick. The article is not intended to tell the entire history of the founding of the organization, nor the full story of Dr. Bostick's contributions to the civil rights movement in the SCOLT region. Instead, readers will be privy to specific moments and thoughts surrounding a man and a movement that touch Southern language teachers and students to this day. Pieced together from interviews with Dr. Bostick, it shows the world house that he has helped build through SCOLT, language by language, learner by learner.
Study Abroad as Professional Development: Voices of In-Service Spanish Teachers
Author: Jochum, Christopher J.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Qualitative Research,Study Abroad,Faculty Development,Language Teachers,Spanish,Second Language Instruction,Teacher Attitudes,Summer Programs,Interviews,Observation,Journal Writing,Language Proficiency,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Teachers

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to understand how four in-service Spanish teachers interpreted their participation in a summer study abroad program and how the experience contributed to their ongoing professional development and language proficiency. Using a multiple case design (Simons, 2009; Stake, 2005; Yin, 2009), the researchers conducted interviews, recorded field observations and collected participant journals. By analyzing these teachers' voices, it was found that the experience revealed a new-found realization of their language proficiency and its impact on their professional practice. A salient finding of the study abroad experience was that these teachers expressed a commitment to further develop their language skills outside of the classroom. Implications for foreign language educators include the need for sustained professional development that focuses on both content and proficiency.
Learning in Parallel: Using Parallel Corpora to Enhance Written Language Acquisition at the Beginning Level
Author: Bluemel, Brody
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Written Language,Computational Linguistics,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Writing Improvement,Teaching Methods,Outcomes of Education,Instructional Innovation,English,Reading Comprehension,Writing (Composition),High School Students,Introductory Courses,Teaching Experience,Learning Experience,Intonation,Mandarin Chinese

This article illustrates the pedagogical value of incorporating parallel corpora in foreign language education. It explores the development of a Chinese/English parallel corpus designed specifically for pedagogical application. The corpus tool was created to aid language learners in reading comprehension and writing development by making foreign language texts more accessible to them. The study follows the application of this parallel corpus in two beginning level high school Chinese classes and describes the experience of both instructor and students in implementing this technology. The positive learning outcomes observed through students improvement in comprehension and composition demonstrate the value of parallel corpora both as a pedagogical tool and innovative technology.