scholarly journals The impact of pre-task planning on speaking test performance for English-medium university admission

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan O’Grady
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
English Language ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Task Planning ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
University Admission ◽  
The Impact

This study investigated the impact of different lengths of pre-task planning time on performance in a test of second language speaking ability for university admission. In the study, 47 Turkish-speaking learners of English took a test of English language speaking ability. The participants were divided into two groups according to their language proficiency, which was estimated through a paper-based English placement test. They each completed four monologue tasks: two picture-based narrative tasks and two description tasks. In a balanced design, each test taker was allowed a different length of planning time before responding to each of the four tasks. The four planning conditions were 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. Trained raters awarded scores to the test takers using an analytic rating scale and a context-specific, binary-choice rating scale, designed specifically for the study. The results of the rater scores were analysed by using a multifaceted Rasch measurement. The impact of pre-task planning on test scores was found to be influenced by four variables: the rating scale; the task type that test takers completed; the length of planning time provided; and the test takers’ levels of proficiency in the second language. Increases in scores were larger on the picture-based narrative tasks than on the two description tasks. The results also revealed a relationship between proficiency and pre-task planning, whereby statistical significance was only reached for the increases in the scores of the lowest-level test takers. Regarding the amount of planning time, the 5-minute planning condition led to the largest overall increases in scores. The research findings offer contributions to the study of pre-task planning and will be of particular interest to institutions seeking to assess the speaking ability of prospective students in English-medium educational environments.

A Review on the Application of Blog, Blogger, Widget and Hypertext to Develop a Web-Based Instructional Tool

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Boon Yih Mah ◽  
Suzana Ab Rahim
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Graphical Form ◽  
Instructional Tool ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Writing Skill ◽  
The Impact

The use of the internet for teaching and learning has become a global trend among the education practitioners over the recent decades. The integration of technology and media into Malaysian English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms has altered the methods in English Language Teaching (ELT). In response to the impact of technology in ELT, the needs of a supplementary instructional platform, and the limitations of the learning management system (LMS) in fostering second language (L2) writing skill, a web-based instructional tool was designed and developed based on a theoretical-and-pedagogical framework namely Web-based Cognitive Writing Instruction (WeCWI). To determine the key concepts while identifying the research gap, this study conducted a literature review using online search on specific keywords including “blog”, “Blogger”, “widget”, and “hyperlink” found in the scholarly articles. Based on the review of literature, Blogger was opted due to its on-screen customisable layout editing features that can be embedded with web widgets and hypertext that share the identical features. By looking into the relationship between perceptual learning preferences on perceived information and the visual representations in iconic and symbolic views, the blogs can come with two different user interfaces embedded with web widgets or hypertext. The blog with web widgets appears in a graphical form of iconic view; while hypertext only displays textual form of symbolic view without involving the visual references. With the injection of web widgets and hypertext into the blogs, WeCWI attempts to offer a technological enhanced ELT solution to overcome the poor writing skill with a better engagement while learning online through the learners’ preferred perceptual learning preferences.

Rater variation in pragmatic assessment: The impact of the linguistic background on peer-assessment and self-assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-85
Author(s):  
Sunni L. Sonnenburg-Winkler ◽  
Zohreh R. Eslami ◽  
Ali Derakhshan
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
English Language ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Native Languages ◽  
Social Rules ◽  
Language Background ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe present study investigates variability among raters from different linguistic backgrounds, who evaluated the pragmatic performance of English language learners with varying native languages (L1s) by using both self- and peer-assessments. To this end, written discourse completion task (WDCT) samples of requesting speech acts from 10 participants were collected. Thereafter, the participants were asked to assess their peers’ WDCTs before assessing their own samples using the same rating scale. The raters were further asked to provide an explanation for their rating decisions. Findings indicate that there may indeed be a link between a rater’s language background and their scoring patterns, although the results regarding peer- and self-assessment are mixed. There are both similarities and differences in the participants’ use of pragmatic norms and social rules in evaluating appropriateness.

Collaborative Pre-Task Planning Processes and Second-Language Task Performance

RELC Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 003368822095322
Author(s):  
Paul Leeming ◽  
Scott Aubrey ◽  
Craig Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
First Language ◽  
Task Planning ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Subsequent Task

Task-based language teaching research has investigated the impact of planning on task performance, but little has been reported on the processes that take place while planning is undertaken. This study builds on previous planning research by providing a detailed analysis of four Japanese university learners’ collaborative pre-task planning (two dyads) and their performance on a subsequent second language (L2) oral monologue task that required them to express their opinions on a problem and propose a solution to it. Follow-up interviews incorporating stimulated recall were also conducted to gain insight into learners’ perceptions. Results suggest that the note-taking strategies employed, the interpersonal dynamics of the pairs, the L2 proficiency of the participants, and the language of planning (first language [L1] or L2) resulted in important differences in these learners’ planning processes and subsequent task performances. The results are discussed in terms of how pre-task planning processes might be optimized in teaching and research.

scholarly journals The Impact of Native Language Use on Second Language Vocabulary Learning by Saudi EFL Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Saleem Khan
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Target Language ◽  
The Impact

<p>This paper strives to explore the impact of Native Language use on Foreign Language vocabulary learning on the basis of empirical and available data. The study is carried out with special reference to the English Language Programme students in Buraydah Community College, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The Native Language of these students is Arabic and their Second Language is English. The participants in this research study are the post-secondary students of Buraydah Community College in Intensive Course Programme. The instrument used in this study was in the form of two tests. It is well known that in language assessment tests play a pivotal role in evaluating the EFL learners’ language proficiency. The use of native language as a semantic tool for assessing second language learners’ understanding shouldn’t be rejected altogether especially for the undergrad Saudi EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students. The outcomes of the study show that in learning the vocabulary of target language is significantly helped by the use of translation method of native language (Arabic) in understanding the meaning of novel words and expressions of foreign language (English). This method is widely welcomed by majority of the students of Buraydah Community College. It’s recommended to use this method in order to take the students directly to the core meaning of the word or expression. It also, sometimes, gives a sense of accuracy of the meaning of native language equivalents.</p>

scholarly journals The Impact of Limited Code Switching on the Achievement of the Jordanian English Language Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samer R. Hmeadat
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

    The study sought to investigate the impact of limited and regulated code switching on the achievement of the Jordanian EFL learners. To achieve the aim of study, the use of code-switching was intended to be integrated within the code of conduct which made up the backbone of the class management.  The study sample consisted of (105) students from the eighth and ninth grades in Berein Secondary School, The Second Directorate of Education in Zarqa District. The subjects were divided into four groups; two experimental groups consisted of (51) male students who were taught through using code-switching. The other two control groups consisted of (52) male students who were taught the same content through the conventional strategy. Questionnaires were distributed into (100) male and female English teachers in different public and private schools to know their attitudes toward using code-switching in their daily lessons in EFL classrooms.  To achieve the goals of this study, the researcher chose both the quantitative design (achievement test) and the qualitative design (interviews and questionnaire) to conduct his study. Analysis of One-Way ANOVA was performed to test the statistical significance of the differences among groups. The results revealed that there was a statistical significant difference at the level (α =0.05) in the mean scores between the experimental groups and the control groups in favor of the experimental groups. The result showed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the subjects of the experimental groups who were taught through the code of conduct and using the code-switching.  

The Effects of Pre-Task Planning on Second Language Writing: A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-165
Author(s):  
Rod Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Task Planning ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Moderating Variables ◽  
Online Planning ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract There are both pedagogical and theoretical grounds for asking second language writers to plan before they start writing. The question then arises whether pre-task planning (PTP) improves written output. To address this question, this article reviewed 32 studies by comparing the effect of PTP either with no planning or with unpressured online planning (OLP). These studies also investigated the moderating effect of variables relating to the writer participants, the nature of the planning, and the writing tasks. The main findings are: (1) There is no clear evidence that PTP leads to better overall writing quality when this is measured using rating rubrics, (2) PTP generally results in more fluent writing, (3) its impact on syntactical and lexical complexity is inconsistent and negligible, (4) OLP does sometimes result in increased linguistic accuracy, and (5) there is insufficient evidence to reach clear conclusions about the role that moderating variables have on the impact of PTP, but the results suggest that collaborative (as opposed to individual planning) can lead to increased accuracy and that PTP tends to lead to more complex language when the writing task is a complex one. The article concludes with a set of principles to ensure better quality research and three general proposals for the kind of future research needed.

L2 fluency as influenced by content familiarity and planning: Performance, measurement, and pedagogy

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Bui ◽  
Zeping Huang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Factorial Design ◽  
Task Planning ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Content Familiarity ◽  
Split Plot ◽  
Two Factors

This study investigates how second language (L2) fluency is influenced by two factors: Pre-task planning and content familiarity. Planning was adopted as a between-participant variable, combined with content familiarity as a within-participant variable, in a 2 × 2 split-plot factorial design. Nineteen measures of fluency phenomena, constituting eight categories, were used. Both planning and content familiarity were found to enhance fluency, but the positive effects of planning were stronger and noticeable on a wider range of measures. The availability of planning time also helped to compensate for lack of content familiarity. Implications for pedagogy and L2 fluency measurement are discussed.

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