scholarly journals In-Game Social Interactions to Facilitate ESL Students' Morphological Awareness, Language and Literacy Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (CHI PLAY) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Yolanda A. Rankin ◽  
Sana Tibi ◽  
Casey Kennington ◽  
Na-eun Han
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Pedagogical Tools

Video games that require players to utilize a target or second language to complete tasks have emerged as alternative pedagogical tools for Second Language Acquisition (SLA). With the exception of vocabulary acquisition, much of the prior research in game-based SLA fails to gauge students' literacy skills, specifically their morphological awareness or understanding of the smallest meaningful linguistic units (e.g., prefixes, suffixes, and roots). Given this shortcoming, we utilize a two-player online game to facilitate social interactions between Native English Speakers (NES) and English as a Second Language (ESL) students as a mechanism to generate ESL students' written output in the targeted language and draw attention to their morphological awareness. Analysis of chat logs demonstrates the game's potential to enhance ESL students' morphological awareness and other important L2 literacy skills such as word reading accuracy. Both NES and ESL students' reflections of their gameplay experiences suggest game design modifications that promote ESL students' willingness to communicate with NES while developing their morphological awareness and practicing their L2 communication and literacy skills.

Morphological Awareness Skills of Second- and Third-Grade Students With and Without Speech Sound Disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-616
Author(s):  
Kenn Apel ◽  
Victoria S. Henbest
Keyword(s):  
Word Reading ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Real Word ◽  
Speech Sound Disorders ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Third Grade Students ◽  
Pseudoword Reading

Purpose Morphological awareness is the ability to consciously manipulate the smallest units of meaning in language. Morphological awareness contributes to success with literacy skills for children with typical language and those with language impairment. However, little research has focused on the morphological awareness skills of children with speech sound disorders (SSD), who may be at risk for literacy impairments. No researcher has examined the morphological awareness skills of children with SSD and compared their skills to children with typical speech using tasks representing a comprehensive definition of morphological awareness, which was the main purpose of this study. Method Thirty second- and third-grade students with SSD and 30 with typical speech skills, matched on age and receptive vocabulary, completed four morphological awareness tasks and measures of receptive vocabulary, real-word reading, pseudoword reading, and word-level spelling. Results Results indicated there was no difference between the morphological awareness skills of students with and without SSD. Although morphological awareness was moderately to strongly related to the students' literacy skills, performance on the morphological awareness tasks contributed little to no additional variance to the children's real-word reading and spelling skills beyond what was accounted for by pseudoword reading. Conclusions Findings suggest that early elementary-age students with SSD may not present with concomitant morphological awareness difficulties and that the morphological awareness skills of these students may not play a unique role in their word-level literacy skills. Limitations and suggestions for future research on the morphological awareness skills of children with SSD are discussed.

The intersectionality of teacher immediacy, emotioncy and willingness to communicate in higher education context

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asieh Amini ◽  
Hiwa Weisi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Teacher Immediacy ◽  
Content Type

PurposeGiven the significance of willingness to communicate and its integral role in the field of foreign/second language acquisition (F/SLA), this quantitative study intends to examine the relationship between sensory emotioncy types and teacher immediacy with second language learners' willingness to communicate (WTC).Design/methodology/approachA total number of 280 students majoring in teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and English Language and Literature completed three scales of Sensory Emotioncy Type (SET), Willingness to Communicate and Teacher Immediacy (TI). For data analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed.FindingsThe results of SEM showed that learners' WTC was significantly predicted by emotioncy and teacher immediacy. Further, reports from correlational and regression analyses revealed a significantly positive correlation, first, between teacher immediacy and learners' WTC, secondly, between emotioncy and learners' WTC.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study was that the participants were selected from one context with relatively a small sample which might restrict the generalization. Nonetheless, the present study findings might extend ancillary horizons and provided worthwhile insights into the perception of teacher immediacy and emotioncy on students' willingness to communicate.Practical implicationsThe significance of the current study lies in its theoretical contribution to the notion of WTC and its pedagogical implications and suggestions to the benefits of rejuvenating second language teaching and learning. Findings of this study help pre-service and in-service teachers in providing them more robust picture of learners' individual differences; and hence exert the most appropriate tasks which learners have the most degree of familiarity and better to say, emotioncy.Originality/valueIn the current study notable results were obtained which would be efficacious to the present literature on the EFL teacher immediacy, emotioncy and willingness to communicate. First and foremost, the findings added to a growing body of literature on emotioncy as a relatively novel concept in academic settings and teacher immediacy , and willingness to communicate which have gained scant attention in the field.

scholarly journals Learning Poetry: Attitudes and Challenges Faced by ESL Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-69
Author(s):  
Hafilah Zainal Abidin ◽  
Taufik Lock Kim Wai
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Selection Of

Learning literature, as part of the English Language Syllabus, has been practiced in many countries. In Malaysia, literature is incorporated as a component and an authentic means of learning the language with the hope that students acquire the desired language skills. However, poetry, one of the genres in the component, is the least favourable among students. This paper investigates students’ attitude towards learning poetry and the challenges they encountered learning poetry. Data from 120 respondents were collected through questionnaire and interviews. The findings revealed that the selection of texts for poetry in the literature component and teacher’s methodology play a role in cultivating students' interest in learning not only the language but also the context, culture, and values as well as inculcating a positive attitude towards learning poetry in second language acquisition.

Variable competence and performance in child second language acquisition1

1991 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly Olson Flanigan
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Past Tense ◽  
Competence Model ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Mental Competence ◽  
The Past ◽  
And Performance

The variable competence model of second language acquisition proposes that the ability to use language varies systematically within functional domains and linguistic contexts, and that such variability is inherent in interlanguage as well. This study of elicited and naturalistic speech of elementary school ESL students in formal and informal situations supports the conclusion that variability exists in the acquisition process but disputes the theory that it is a necessary com ponent of the mental competence itself. Errors in use of the past tense, noun phrase plurals and possessives, adjectives, and determiners were calculated for four different activities or tasks; t-tests and regression analyses revealed little or no statistical difference across tasks but predictable differences with increase in proficiency. Implications are drawn for the teaching of grammar to children in an academic context.

Effects of L1 morphological type on L2 morphological awareness

2021 ◽  
pp. 026765832199641
Author(s):  
Zhaohong Wu ◽  
Alan Juffs
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Morphological Type ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Advanced Learners

Previous studies on bilingual children have shown a significant correlation between first language (L1) and second language (L2) morphological awareness and a unique contribution of morphological awareness in one language to reading performance in the other language, suggesting cross-linguistic influence. However, few studies have compared advanced adult L2 learners from L1s of different morphological types or compared native speakers with advanced learners from a morphologically more complex L1 in their target-language morphological awareness. The current study filled this gap by comparing native English speakers (analytic) and two L2 groups from typologically different L1s: Turkish (agglutinative) and Chinese (isolating). Participants’ morphological awareness was evaluated via a series of tasks, including derivation, affix-choice word and nonword tasks, morphological relatedness, and a suffix-ordering task. Results showed a significant effect of L1 morphological type on L2 morphological awareness. After accounting for L2 proficiency, the Turkish group significantly outperformed the Chinese group in the derivation, morphological relatedness, and suffix-ordering tasks. More importantly, the Turkish group significantly outperformed the native English group in the morphological relatedness task even without accounting for English proficiency. Such results have implications for theories in second language acquisition regarding representation of the bilingual lexicon. In addition, results of the current study underscored the need to guard against the comparative fallacy and highlighted the influential effect of L1 experience on the acquisition of L2 morphological knowledge.

scholarly journals PROMOTING WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THROUGH LIVEWORKSHEETS.COM

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-141
Author(s):  
Nissa Ilma Mukti ◽  
Rochmawati Rochmawati ◽  
Alfiah Nur Senta ◽  
Leo Candra Wahyu Utam ◽  
Zulvy Alivia Hanim
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Media Learning ◽  
Teaching Learning

This research investigates on the use of online platform media learning, namely liveworksheets.com to facilitate students’ willingness to communicate and acquire their second language in an online classroom. This study is considered essential to be taken account to, as it correlates to the current situation, in which classes are conducted online. To gain the data, questionnaire were distributed to third semester students who are learning English as part of their course for a foreign and second language in Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang. By applying a mixed-method research design, the result of the study presents that there were four main factors affecting students’ willingness to communicate when using liveworksheets.com. This includes learners’ behavioral intention, interlocutors, motivations and their affective-cognitive skills. Moreover, it was also noted that liveworksheets.com was found to be quite beneficial in facilitating students to acquire their second language through the mentioned aspects. Hopefully, the result of the study may bring new insight and contribute to the online teaching learning process that takes place nowadays both for teachers and second language learners.

scholarly journals Willingness to Communicate in English among ESL Undergraduates in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
Ai Siok KHO-YAR ◽  
Shameem RAFIK-GALEA ◽  
Elise Ai Hwee KHO
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Final Model ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
And Performance

Students’ unwillingness in communicating (WTC) English has many factors especially insecond language acquisition. This study investigates the willingness to communicate(WTC) in English among ESL undergraduates in Malaysia. A hypothesised model that integratesWTC in English, motivation, self-efficacy, mindset, and performance was tested usingstructural equation modelling (SEM). The results show that the personality of learnersare directly affecting motivation and WTC in English. Further, the results also demonstratethat both motivation and academic achievement influences WTC in English indirectlythrough self-efficacy. The final model correlates well with the data, thereby indicating thepotential of academic achievement can contribute to ESL communication. Keywords: Willingness to communicate; low proficiency; second language acquisition;speaking

The language use, attitudes, and motivation of Chinese students prior to a semester-long sojourn in an English-speaking environment

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
International Exchange ◽  
Exchange Program ◽  
English Speaking

Second language acquisition scholars have long recognized that language attitudes and motivation can play a critical role in second language (L2) learning, leading to variations in willingness to communicate (WTC) and initiate interactions in that language. This paper reports on the pre-sojourn phase of a mixed-method study that investigated the language and intercultural learning of 149 Chinese students from a Hong Kong university who participated in a semester-long exchange program in an English-speaking country. By way of a questionnaire survey, document analysis (e.g., study plans), and in-depth interviews, the first phase examined their pre-sojourn language use, attitudes, and motivation, as well as their aims, expectations, and concerns about their impending study and residence in the host environment. Studies of this nature are essential to provide direction for pre-sojourn orientations and other interventions that can support and optimize the language enhancement and intercultural engagement of outgoing L2 international exchange students.

An Ethnographic Approach to Exploring Personality, Language Learning Strategies, and Second Language Acquisition

Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 149-157
Author(s):  
Yukiko Oki
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Language Learning Strategies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Japanese English

This paper is a case study examining the relationship between two individual difference (ID) factors, namely personality and language learning strategies (LLS), and language learning of two Japanese English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students. A qualitative analysis of their language learning histories, learner diaries, and interviews aims to uncover the role of personality in language learning and how personality seems to be reflected in their uses of LLS.

Morphological insensitivity in second language processing

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
NAN JIANG
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Second Language Processing ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Esl Learners

Two competing explanations exist regarding the nature of morphological difficulty in adult second language acquisition: competence deficit versus performance deficiency. This study tested these explanations by examining English as a second language (ESL) learners' morphological performance in reading comprehension tasks. Chinese ESL speakers were asked to read English sentences for comprehension in three self-paced word by word reading experiments. Their reading times were measured to determine if they were sensitive to idiosyncrasies/disagreement in sentences that do and do not involve the number morpheme. The results show that they are not sensitive to number disagreement, but sensitive to other idiosyncrasies tested. This insensitivity to the number morpheme suggests that their morphological knowledge is not an integrated part of their automatic second language competence.

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