Harnessing a Nation’s linguistic competence

2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley O’Neill ◽  
Anikó Hatoss

This paper reports the findings of a research project aimed to (a) identify the foreign language and cross-cultural skill needs of workers in the tourism and hospitality industry in Australia, and to (b) develop foreign language competencies for use in industry training packages. A representative sample of work sites was visited to develop a detailed profile of the language and cross-cultural skills/levels and job requirements. The resulting competency standards were subsequently included in the industry training packages (Tourism Training Australia, 2002). This paper gives empirical evidence for the need for foreign language skills in the industry and gives account of the methodology used for identifying these needs and translating them into foreign language competencies. The outcomes of this research, the competency standards, bear twofold significance. On the one hand, they provide a tool for recognising the existing linguistic and cultural skills of those Australians who work in the industry (these are mainly Australians from non-English speaking background, NESB), on the other hand they provide a tool for motivating foreign language learning by those who seek a career in the industry, by giving recognition for their foreign language skills as part of the wider training program. This research was commissioned by Tourism Training Australia, Sydney and funded by the Department of Industry, Science & Resources.

2016 ◽  
pp. 964-981
Author(s):  
Manuel Palomo-Duarte ◽  
Anke Berns ◽  
Alberto Cejas ◽  
Juan Manuel Dodero ◽  
Juan Antonio Caballero ◽  
...  

With increasing globalization, foreign language skills have become one of the main requirements when applying for a job in leading ICT companies. Due to their ubiquity and multi-functionality, mobile devices allow teachers to provide technology-friendly students with highly dynamic learning contents in line with their lifestyle. Unfortunately, most of the available APPs still support a mainly one-way interaction (teacher to learner or computer-client interaction). The authors have designed an APP based on a highly interactive, ubiquitous and constructive learning approach. The current paper illustrates firstly how the APP has helped learners to get actively involved in their own learning process sharing and assessing their foreign language knowledge. And secondly, how students' logs can be used to automate the assessment of different skills such as the ability to explain terms in a foreign language or to assess definitions created by other game players.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-104
Author(s):  
Józef Jarosz

Abstract The contemporary teaching of foreign languages assumes the development of the ability to use a foreign language in different communication situations. Apart from language competence, also the cultural competence is developed as it is a necessary component of communication. A successful transfer of knowledge and language skills in the process of foreign language learning is determined by a textbook (in addition to other factors). The goal of this article is to analyze the content and assess three Danish textbooks, which were published in Germany in the years 2008-2010. The textbooks are examined in terms of knowledge about Danish life and institutions, the transfer of intercultural competence and the presence of stereotypes. The textbooks were studied based on the list of criteria and it resulted in stating that the textbooks fulfill the objective of providing the knowledge about the country to a great degree. The intercultural component and the issue of stereotypes are dealt with in a different manner.


Author(s):  
Manuel Palomo-Duarte ◽  
Anke Berns ◽  
Alberto Cejas ◽  
Juan Manuel Dodero ◽  
Juan Antonio Caballero-Hernández ◽  
...  

The acquisition of foreign language competencies has become one of the main concerns of current ICT educational policies. Mobile smart devices allow teachers to provide students with personalized learning environments in line with their needs. However, most of the available apps, especially in the area of foreign language learning, still focus on form-based learning supporting mainly one-way interaction. In this chapter, the authors designed a learning system based on a dynamic, asynchronous and constructive learning approach. The chapter illustrates how the system helped students to get involved in their learning process by creating, sharing, and assessing their own learning resources and how teachers could benefit from students' logs to retrieve indicators for assessment processes. Finally, two algorithms that guide students' learning processes are compared: the first algorithm is based on community-driven behaviour, the second one on students' individual behaviour. Results show that both algorithms provide similar outcomes.


Author(s):  
Anke Berns ◽  
Iván Ruiz-Rube ◽  
José Miguel Mota ◽  
Juan Manuel Dodero ◽  
Edson Castro ◽  
...  

New technologies are changing the way of learning foreign languages. However, one of the main challenges for software developers and mobile assisted language learning designers remains the creation of learning environments for students’ language immersion in and outside the classroom. This paper describes the design and evaluation of a VR-based mobile app called Let’s date!. The app enables Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) A1 level German language learners to interact with an immersive environment and to practise several language skills. The results have proven that the use of 360° videos based on realistic situations and combined with a conversational agent is suitable to reinforce students’ foreign language competencies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-107
Author(s):  
Prahoro Yudo Purwono ◽  
Prima Vidya Aster

ABSTRAK:Pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia sebagai bahasa asing sudah menjadi tren dan kebutuhan di era saat ini. Maka,  inovasi pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia sangat penting dilakukan sesuai dengan level pembelajar. Hal ini bertujuan untuk mempermudah pemahaman pembelajar dalam menguasai bahasa Indonesia. Salah satu caranya adalah dengan pembelajaran terintegrasi berbasis pengenalan lintas budaya. Oleh karena itu, digagaslah media AWAN ASA. Aplikasi ini berbasis software macromedia flash sehingga mudah untuk diaplikasikan dan interaktif bagi pengguna. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah penelitian deskriptif kuantitatif persentase. Metode dan media aplikasi AWAN ASA yang dipakai dalam pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia sebagai bahasa asing terintegrasi dengan pengenalan lintas budaya, didapati hasil keterampilan menulis siswa cukup bagus, dengan rata-rata mendapatkan nilai di kisaran 70 dan mampu menulis konjungsi dari 8-18 kata. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa metode dan aplikasi yang digunakan untuk mahasiswa BIPA UNESA benar-benar sesuai bagi mereka, serta metode dan media yang dipakai mampu meningkatkan pemahaman dan pengetahuan mereka mengenai bahasa dan kebudayaan Indonesia.KATA KUNCI: Aplikasi; Bahasa Asing; Lintas Budaya;Pembelajaran. BIPA’S LEARNING WITH AWAN ASA APPLICATION BASED ON CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING  ABSTRACT: Learning Indonesian as a foreign language has become a trend and a necessity in the current era. Thus, it is very important to make innovations in learning Indonesian based on the level of the learner. This research aims to facilitate the learner's understanding of mastering Indonesian through integrated learning based on cross-cultural introduction. Therefore, the AWAN ASA media was initiated. AWAN ASA is an Indonesian language learning application which is integrated with wayang stories as Indonesian culture. The research method used quantitative descriptive research. The method and media of the AWAN ASA application is integrated with cross-cultural introduction, which was found that the results of students' writing skills were quite good, with an average score in the range of 70 and being able to write conjunctions of 8-18 words. It means, the methods and applications used in learning language for BIPA UNESA students are really suitable for them. Therefore, the methods and media can improve understanding and their knowledge of Indonesian language and culture.KEYWORDS:Application; Cros-Cultural Understanding; Foreign Language; Learning.


Author(s):  
I. N. Kosheleva

Listening is not only one of the most important language skills, which is necessary for everyday communication, but an integral part  of foreign language learning. It is evident that the students need an  effective training in building auditory skills. However, proper  attention is seldom paid to the process of listening to the English  speech, altering phoneme recognition in the stream of speech, which  often causes difficulties in audio-comprehension. The subject  of this research is facilitation of teaching listening comprehension to  the students of non-linguistic universities. The purpose of the article is to identify the core phonological features of coherent  English speech and provide the examples of activities aimed at their  recognition. The methodological framework of the conducted  research is represented by bottom-up approach to teaching listening  and the tenet that speech perception and comprehension by ear is a  process. Therefore, the ability to correctly decode phonemes, words,  phrases and infer meaning plays an utmost role. In thiscontext the students’ wrong answers should be analyzed, it contributes to determining the point of misunderstanding. It is  shown that making students aware of phonological features  of  coherent English speech helps them to overcome difficulties in  audiotext perception and thus enhances teaching listening  comprehension. The results of the research can be of interest to  both foreign language teachers and to the researchers dealing with  English phonetics learning. Finally, the conclusions are drawn that a  successful development of listening skills requires a combination of  the bottom-up and top-down approaches. This enables teaching staff  to create favorable conditions for acquisition of one of the most challenging language skills.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1901
Author(s):  
Ting Liu ◽  
Takaya Yuizono ◽  
Zhisheng Wang ◽  
Haiwen Gao

This paper investigated foreign language learning efficiency in four different illumination environments (in different illuminance and color temperatures), focusing on the influence of the illumination environment on foreign language learners’ sentimental status, by means of foreign language skills testing in mind-map, objective evaluation of physiological reaction, and subjective evaluation of psychological reaction. It was shown that in different illumination environments, the language skills of foreign language learners were different, and their psychological and physiological reactions varied, which influenced the efficiency of foreign language learning. The results indicated that the ideal learning space was in high illuminance and low color temperature, which increased the stimulation in foreign language learners; promoted the formation of optimistic sentiment; and enhanced their interest in, and the quality and efficiency of, foreign language learning.


Author(s):  
Manuel Palomo-Duarte ◽  
Anke Berns ◽  
Alberto Cejas ◽  
Juan Manuel Dodero ◽  
Juan Antonio Caballero ◽  
...  

With increasing globalization, foreign language skills have become one of the main requirements when applying for a job in leading ICT companies. Due to their ubiquity and multi-functionality, mobile devices allow teachers to provide technology-friendly students with highly dynamic learning contents in line with their lifestyle. Unfortunately, most of the available APPs still support a mainly one-way interaction (teacher to learner or computer-client interaction). The authors have designed an APP based on a highly interactive, ubiquitous and constructive learning approach. The current paper illustrates firstly how the APP has helped learners to get actively involved in their own learning process sharing and assessing their foreign language knowledge. And secondly, how students' logs can be used to automate the assessment of different skills such as the ability to explain terms in a foreign language or to assess definitions created by other game players.


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