scholarly journals The effect of out-of-class exposure to English language media on learners’ vocabulary knowledge

2018 ◽  
Vol 169 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke Peters

Abstract The aim of this study is to investigate (1) how often Flemish English-as-a-foreign language learners are exposed to English language media outside of the classroom, (2) whether current out-of-class exposure to English language media is related to learners’ vocabulary knowledge, and (3) whether length of instruction (three or six years), gender, and out-of-class exposure to English language media affect Flemish learners’ vocabulary. Data were collected with 79 English-as-a-foreign language learners. They were administered a frequency-based vocabulary test and a questionnaire. The findings of this study show that Flemish English-as-a-foreign language learners are frequently exposed to English language media. The results also indicate a positive relationship between learners’ vocabulary knowledge and exposure to non-subtitled TV programs and movies, the Internet, and written print (books, magazines). Finally, both length of instruction and current out-of-class exposure to English language media had an effect on learners’ vocabulary knowledge, but out-of-class exposure had a larger effect than length of instruction.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nawal Fadhil Abbas ◽  
Lina Laith Younus ◽  
Huda Hadi Khalil

Interlanguage fossilization is a crucial dilemma that foreign language learners may fall in. The problem of the present study is shown clearly in the answers of Iraqi students of Master of Arts in the College of Education for Women University of Baghdad. In spite of all the previous years of studying English language, some still have the problem of fossilized active and passive simple present tense. The present study aims at shedding light on the reasons behind the Iraqi students’ problem. An error analysis is applied to critically examine the students’ answers in their final course exam of two courses namely; pragmatics and discourse analysis. Depending on Selinker’s model (1972) of error analysis, students errors are all traced back to the language transfer of their native language. Among the results of analysis the researchers have arrived at a suitable solution for the current problem embodied by Sharwood’s Consciousness-Raising Approach (1981). It is recommended as a psycholinguistic model for defossilization. It is very suitable for mentally matured learners and help to solve the dilemma.


1987 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf Palmberg

After an introductory discussion of the concepts of vocabulary knowledge continua and foreign-language learners' mental lexicons, the paper presents the results of a longitudinal pilot study whose aim was to make preliminary insights into vocabulary development as it takes place in an ordinary foreign-language classroom setting involving elementary-level Swedish-speaking learners of English. The results are discussed in terms of vocabulary growth in general, the learners' accessibility to words under time pressure, the relationship between “old,” well-known words and newly learned words, and finally, the stability of the learners' immediate access to words.


Author(s):  
Marsya Aprila Tayibnapis ◽  
Lina Meilinda ◽  
Yessy Purnamasari

Collocations are one of the problems faced by EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners when learning English language. This study is intended to help the EFL Learners and non-native English speakers to add knowledge about collocations. Therefore, this study is aimed to find the use of lexical collocations and their meaning. This study used a descriptive qualitative research technique. The source of the data is eleven articles from eight sections in seventeen.com. om the research, there were 79 lexical collocations and they were classified as six out of seven types that Benson et al. (2010) proposed. The data showed that the most used type is L3 (adjective + noun) and the least used is L4 (noun + verb). The meaning of the lexical collocations was defined from the contexts. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-246
Author(s):  
Kata Csizér ◽  
Csaba Kálmán

Despite the fact that the influence of learning experiences on foreign language learning motivation has been widely acknowledged and emphasised, there are hardly any studies concentrating on these learning experiences. Hence, the aim of this study is to map the language learning experiences of former and current language learners in order to provide a detailed account of the possible components of the foreign language learning experience. Data were collected with the help of a qualitative interview schedule involving 22 language learners in two subsamples. Ten participants are English language teachers as former foreign language learners, while 12 students, current learners of English, have also been recruited. The most important result of our study is that foreign language learning experience seems to be a complex construct including immediate and present aspects as well as self-related components and attributions. Language learning success, the teacher’s personality, contact experiences, as well as attitudes towards the L2 seem to stand out as important components for both groups of learners. Apart from discussing the differences and similarities between retrospective and concurrent experiences, we will provide pedagogical and research-related implications as well.


Author(s):  
Ahmad Azman Mokhtar ◽  
Rafizah Mohd Rawian ◽  
Paramjit Kaur a/p Karpal Singh

<p>This study examined the receptive and productive English vocabulary knowledge of tertiary students. Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) consisted of three tests, namely Passive Vocabulary Test (PVT), Controlled Active Vocabulary Test (CAVT), and Free Active Vocabulary Test (FAVT) was used to collect the data. A total of 360 first-, second- and third-year university students were involved in the study. The findings revealed that majority of them had very limited lexical knowledge to use English as their second or foreign language, though formal exposures to English language had been given to them for at least 11 years before entering the tertiary level. In trying to unfold the unsuccessful attempt to enhance the students’ lexical competent through the present Malaysian education system, the issue of lexical input in terms of quantity and quality had been raised.</p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Mizumoto ◽  
Yosuke Sasao ◽  
Stuart A. Webb

The knowledge about affix plays a vital role in the development of word knowledge and vocabulary acquisition. A test for diagnostic information on the level of affix knowledge would be useful in order to inform the test users of what learners have gained or lacked in this integral component of vocabulary knowledge. This paper reports the development and evaluation of a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) version of the Word Part Levels Test (WPLT), created by Sasao and Webb (2017). The CAT-WPLT was developed to maximize further the effectiveness of the WPLT as a diagnostic test. It was administered to 760 Japanese university EFL (English as a foreign language) learners. The evaluation was based on the comparison of measurement accuracy with the fixed-item version of the WPLT. The results show that the CAT-WPLT can provide test users with diagnostic information on test-taker’s strengths and weaknesses in affix knowledge with smaller number of items and with the same or greater precision than the previous versions of the WPLT. Pedagogical implications for using the CAT-WPLT are discussed along with issues in utilizing computer adaptivity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMES MILTON

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the scale of vocabulary learning that appears to be common among British foreign language learners of French up to university graduation. These results are compared with historical data and the knowledge learners possessed in previous generations. This is done by comparing current students' vocabulary knowledge with students who studied more than 20 years ago. These comparisons provide very powerful evidence in support of claims made to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority of a progressive decline in the knowledge of learners and the standard of school examinations over a period of decades.


Author(s):  
Antoni Nomdedeu Rull

AbstractForeign language learners need to get cultural information during their learning process for their oral and written comprehension and expression activities. Current lexicographic products are not characterized by showing explicit, systematic, and organized cultural data about cultural words or expressions found in their vocabularies. Current lexicographic products are not characterized by showing explicit and/or systematically cultural data about cultural words or expressions found in their vocabularies. Consequently, learners’ communicative and cognitive needsare not satisfied when looking up any cultural word and/or expression. One of the challenges of lexicography is how to select and represent cultural data in various lexicographic products. Overcoming this double challenge will depend on how these lexicographic tools cope with the following actions: (1) personalization of the lexicographic product; (2) integration in other tools (e.g. writing assistants); and (3) development of the product as a learning tool and not only a consultation tool. In view of this issue, this paper discusses about how to select cultural data from different sources and how to represent them in Write Assistant, a tool created by the Danish language technology company Ordbogen and published in 2019, though still in progress. Special attention will be given to Spanish speakers learning the English language.


Author(s):  
La Ode Nggawu ◽  
Hartati Muchtar ◽  
Khaerudin Khaerudin

<em><span>This Academic article discusses the implementation of self-regulated learning model in English Writing learning, especially on enriching writing skill. The discussion of this article uses many points of views of self-regulated model learners, such as Albert Bandura, Barry Zimmerman, Anananita Bramuci, Popa Daniela, and Ernesto Panadero. According to the authors' interpretation, the discussion shows several results. (1) English writing skills require serious effort and practice in formulating, developing and analyzing ideas, especially for second /foreign language learners. (2) The understanding of English language grammar and vocabulary is indispensable for second / foreign language learners. (3) The self-regulated learning model can increase the learning motivation because this model encourages students to acquire knowledge and skills on their own voluntarily; and (4) learners who have high self-regulated learning, will have good learning outcomes as well<span class="ShortAbstract">.</span></span></em>


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Osman Bedel

This paper discusses how the introduction of ‘literature circles’ have led to the stimulation of social interaction among language learners. These social interactions happen because members of the literary circles are able to read and understand a book of choice, and assign participating student members their responsibility through structured time and assessment. They are primarily guided by students’ insights and questions and they apply each other's learning, reading, writing, and speaking skills, making this approach to learning flexible and fluid, while initiating collaborative social interaction at the same time. This collaborative learning and social interactions have been applied in classrooms of ‘English as a Foreign Language’ learners. This paper looks into the need for literature circles that promote collaborative learning in the EFL classroom, in order to attain higher levels of language and literary skills. The research also shows that literature circles as reader-response centric have come to constitute a part of a balanced literacy program in learning foreign language in general and the English language in particular.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document