Lexical diversity and the use of academic and lower frequency words in the academic writing of EFL students

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-18
Author(s):  
Neda Akbari
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
University Education ◽  
Lexical Diversity ◽  
Language Differences ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
University Level ◽  
One Year

Abstract This study focuses on lexical diversity and the use of academic and lower frequency words in essays written by EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students enrolled in Years 1 and 2 at the undergraduate university level. The purpose of this study is to find out the extent to which EFL students become more proficient in their use of academic and lower frequency words and make more diverse choices in their writing after one year of undergraduate university education in English. The study also compares essays written by EFL students and NS (native speaker) students to determine inter-language differences. Essays written by 62 EFL students and 198 NS students at Years 1 and 2 were analyzed for this study. The findings showed no statistically significant difference between the essays written by EFL students in Year 1 and those written in Year 2, either in terms of lexical diversity or in terms of the use of academic and lower frequency words. EFL students in both year levels had a preference for highly frequent words (words in the 1k frequency band). This is in contrast to the NS students, whose use of academic and some lower frequency words improved in Year 2. The findings also showed a statistically significant difference between the essays written by the EFL and the NS students in both year levels. The EFL students made less diverse lexical choices and used fewer words in various frequency bands than the NS students. Findings are discussed and recommendations are offered to EFL students and their educators on how to focus on these aspects of academic writing.

scholarly journals An Attempt at Promoting Undergraduate Sudanese EFL Students’ Performance in Academic Writing Skills

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar Mohammed Ahmed Mudawy
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
University Level

The study aims at suggesting effective methods and techniques that could improve English as a foreign language EFL students’ performance in writing skills. The researcher uses the descriptive, analytical method. Four tools were adopted pretest, post-test, supporting program, and a questionnaire for teachers for collecting data. Twenty-five students in Holy Quran University, Sudan, were chosen purposively, and thirty EFL teachers at a university level were randomly selected as a sample for the study. Ninty percent of the teachers agree on the suggested program and techniques. The findings of the study indicate that: using varied techniques and activities in pre-writing stage promotes students’ performances in writing, integration of reading and writing skills in the classroom improves students’ writing skills, as well as encouraging extensive reading outside the classroom promotes students’ performance in writing skills. Accordingly, the researcher recommends that: teachers should focus on the prewriting stage through different activities as well as reading and writing should be used in an integrated way in-class writing to guide the writing process.

scholarly journals The Analysis of Indonesian EFL Argumentative Writing Using Toulmin’s Model: The Structure and Struggles from the Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Hanna Sundari ◽  
Rina Husnaini Febriyanti
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Point Pattern ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Toulmin Model ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Writing Assignment ◽  
University Level ◽  
Block Pattern ◽  
Thesis Statement

<p>Argumentative writing plays an important role in academic writing at university level. However, learners mostly find that writing this essay a challenging and effortful task. This present study aims at exploring the structures of argumentative essay written by Indonesian EFL students from one university in Jakarta Indonesia. Moreover, it investigates their difficulty and constraints during composing the essay. Using a descriptive qualitative design, the authors selected writing assignment and questionnaire for collecting data. A layout of Toulmin model of arguments was used in analyzing the essays. The findings of the study show that the argumentative papers cover the main elements: claim (thesis statement), data, rebut, and rebuttal data using either in block pattern or point-by-point pattern. The elements show diverse in types. Logical analysis and explanation are the most frequently used on the papers. Though they present acceptable thesis with well-organized essay, some information is unrelated and data for supporting the claim are seemingly insufficient. In addition, the students think that this essay as difficult task. In general, lack of knowledge, vocabulary and practice cause the constraints. In specific level, the students report that giving argument, finding support and working on counterargument become source of difficulty and constraints.</p>

The language of quoting in academic writing

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieke Verheijen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Linguistic Differences ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Lexical Items

Because quotation is a fundamental aspect of academic texts, this corpus study examines the language of quoting in (L2) academic writing. To find out whether there are subtle linguistic differences in the use of quotation by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) and professional academics who are native speakers of English (NSE), I compare two corpora of scholarly writings: one by upper intermediate and advanced EFL students and one by NSE experts. 1201 Quotes were extracted from the writings and examined for a broad range of lexico-grammatical features relevant to using quotes, including introductions to quotes, lexical items in introducing quotes, ‘special’ quotes, and punctuation surrounding quotes. The findings make clear that EFL students and NSE experts differ significantly on various points in their language of quoting. Making students aware of these differences could make their academic writing more professional, native-like, and sophisticated.

scholarly journals REVEALING EFL STUDENTS’ RESPONSES ON THE USE OF SOCRATIVE IN READING ACTIVITY

Abjadia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-131
Author(s):  
Dewi Nur Suci
Keyword(s):  
Technology Integration ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Online Application ◽  
Academic Reading ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
University Level ◽  
Reading Activity ◽  
Reading Activities ◽  
Difficult Word

Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 has influenced practice of English Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. One of which is through the deployment of Socrative as the technology integration to enhance the students’ skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking. This paper was aimed at elaborating the use of Socrative in English academic reading classrooms done by students in university level. The students’ responses on their experiences when utilizing this application were revealed. The results exemplified that students used Socrative for reading activities. By collecting the students’ opinions on Socrative via a survey, it was found out that the students could enrich their vocabulary because they employed a reading strategy that should be implemented by them, such as noting difficult word(s), and looking for the meaning in dictionary. In another side, the students argued that this online application had a lack of aspect in a reading course. Further, recommendations on the practice of Socrative in EFL classroom are discussed.

The impact of computer-aided concept mapping on EFL learners’ lexical diversity: A process writing experiment

ReCALL ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hassanzadeh ◽  
Elahe Saffari ◽  
Saeed Rezaei
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Process Writing ◽  
Lexical Diversity ◽  
Computer Aided ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
D Values ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Nowadays, many second/foreign language (L2) academic writing instruction programs place a high premium on pre-writing strategies. The current study examined the effect of software-supported concept mapping on lexical diversity (LD) of English learners’ argumentative essays within a process writing framework. Additionally, the relationship between the learners’ LD and their overall writing quality was investigated. To this end, 53 university English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduates were assigned to a computer-aided concept mapping (CACM) and a traditional outlining condition over a span of seven weeks. The CACM group was instructed through the graphic organizer software Inspiration®, whereas the comparison group underwent outlining instruction for planning their writing tasks. Measure of textual lexical diversity (MTLD) was used to assess the so-called D values of the assignments. The results revealed that the CACM group outperformed the outlining group in terms of LD scores. Also, no relationship was found between LD and overall quality of the essays. The findings provide L2 researchers and teachers with insights into understanding the use of CACM strategy in process writing. Moreover, exploiting MTLD afforded our experiment the opportunity to counteract potential pitfalls associated with text size. Further implications for the L2 teacher are also discussed.

scholarly journals Learning from home environment: Academic writing course for EFL undergraduates through Google Classroom application

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 710-725
Author(s):  
Amrina Rosyada ◽  
Hanna Sundari
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Education Program ◽  
English Education ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
English Speaking

Learning academic writing seems to be a great challenge for most English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in non-native English-speaking countries, including in Indonesia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue appears to be more challenging where teachers are persuaded to learn from their home environment (LHE). Several online applications are freely available, and one of the most common applications is Google Classroom. However, the use of such application towards the students’ performance and perception remains understudied. This research aimed at exploring the practices of Google Classroom in facilitating the Academic Writing course of EFL undergraduates. Engaged by 96 participants of third-year students in the English Education Program, the research conducted an explanatory sequential research design by correlating the results data on writing assignments and a set of questionnaires. The findings indicated a significant correlation between using Google Classroom and the students’ writing performance. Moreover, most students expressed their satisfaction with Google Classroom’s practical features to get involved in the academic writing course. The students were satisfied with Google Classroom’s features that were easy to be recognized and easy to be operated. The Google Classroom features also provide clear instructions, practical directions, and the most valuable feature, that is assignment reminders for the students. It can be said that using Google Classroom in the EFL academic writing course at higher education is a great experience and brings great advantages to students’ outcomes.

scholarly journals Effects of EFL Learning on L1 Chinese Lexis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13496
Author(s):  
Wen Kong ◽  
Quan-Jiang Guo ◽  
Yin-Yan Dong ◽  
Xuesong (Andy) Gao
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Chinese Literature ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Lexical Diversity ◽  
Language System ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Word Classes ◽  
Lexical Complexity ◽  
L1 English ◽  
Efl Learning

The advocates of multi-competence theory argue that the L2 learners’ language system is unique because of the crosslinguistic influences of both languages. However, the influence of a foreign language on the learner’s L1 has not been extensively investigated. In order to address the gap, the present study sought to investigate the effects of EFL learning on written L1 Chinese at the lexical level. Two studies were conducted on 200 abstracts of MA theses written in Chinese, half on English literature written by Chinese-L1 English majors (EMs), and half on Chinese literature written by Chinese-L1 Chinese majors (CMs). The first study investigated the differences between the two groups in terms of the frequencies of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions in the abstracts. The second study examined the differences in the lexical complexity and diversity between the two groups. The results reveal 12 significant differences in 27 investigated word classes and subclasses, as well as significant differences in lexical complexity, but no significant difference in lexical diversity. The identified differences are discussed from a multi-competence perspective.

The impact of keyword and full video captioning on listening comprehension

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-120
Author(s):  
Elias Adam Bensalem
Keyword(s):  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Video Captioning ◽  
Video Clips ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
University Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Comprehension Tests

This study investigates the effect of two types of captioning (full and keyword captioning) on listening comprehension.  Thirty-six university-level EFL students participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to watch three video clips under three conditions.  The first group watched the video clips with full captions.  The second group watched the same video clips with keyword captions. The control group watched the video clips without captions. After watching each clip, participants took a listening comprehension test. At the end of the experiment, participants completed a questionnaire to measure their perceptions about the use of captions and the video clips they watched. Results indicated that the full captioning group significantly outperformed both the keyword captioning and the no captioning group on the listening comprehension tests.  However, this study did not find any significant difference between the keyword captioning group and the no captioning group. Results of the survey suggest that keyword captioning were a source of distraction for participants.Keywords: captions, video, listening comprehension, ESL.  

scholarly journals Edmodo Use to Develop Saudi EFL Students’ Self-Directed Learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manal Mohamed Khodary
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Northern Border ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Faculty Of Education

This study aimed at exploring the effect of Edmodo use on developing Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ Self-Directed Learning (SDL). It employed a quasi-experimental design that included a one group design. The participants (n = 45) were all fifth level students at Languages and Translation Department, Arar Faculty of Education and Arts, Northern Border University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They were pre-tested before the treatment by using the pre Personal Responsibility Orientation to Self-Direction in Learning Scale (PRO-SDLS). They were post-tested after the treatment by using the post PRO-SDLS. The researcher taught the participants during the treatment which based on allowing them to use Edmodo in carrying out a project. The results revealed that a statistically significant difference in the participants’ SDL between the pre PRO-SDLS and the post PRO-SDLS in favor of the post PRO-SDLS. Hence, it can be concluded that Edmodo helped the participants develop their SDL on the post PRO-SDLS. Some recommendations and suggestions for further research were included.

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