Developing a New Shadowing Procedure for Japanese EFL Learners

RELC Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 003368822093762
Author(s):  
Yo Hamada
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Primary Study ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Preliminary Study

Shadowing, a practice of repeating what one hears as simultaneously and accurately as possible, has been researched in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field for years. The research findings have shown that shadowing contributes to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ bottom-up listening skills, which leads to their overall listening comprehension skills. However, the accumulated research findings have not uncovered what aspects of bottom-up skills shadowing precisely contributes to. Thus, this study attempts to examine the aspects of bottom-up skills to which shadowing contributes and proposes a new shadowing procedure to compensate for the limitation of the current shadowing procedure. To this end, a preliminary study and a primary study were conducted. In the preliminary study, the bottom-up skill development through shadowing practice was precisely examined, using a 112-item bottom-up listening test. Thirty-six Japanese university students participated in the experiment and engaged in shadowing practice in eight lessons for a month. The result showed that shadowing practice was effective for developing the skill of identifying prominence in a speech, and word recognition skills but not effective for enhancing phonemic discrimination skills. In the primary study, to overcome the limitation of the shadowing procedure, a new shadowing procedure including three components of attention to output, corrective feedback, and explicit instruction was proposed. Twelve Japanese university students participated and engaged in the new shadowing procedure for three months. Their progress was assessed by a 32-item phonemic discrimination test, and the result showed that the new output-based shadowing procedure with explicit instruction and corrective feedback improved phonemic discrimination skills for intermediate level Japanese EFL learners.

scholarly journals The Impact of Discourse Marker Instruction on Fluency, Accuracy, and Complexity Improvement of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Ghader Asadzadian ◽  
Rashid Saad ◽  
Fereshteh Asadzadian
Keyword(s):  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Discourse Marker ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
English Major ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of discourse marker (DM) instruction on fluency, accuracy, and complexity improvement of Iranian intermediate EFL learner’s writing. To this aim, among the two hundred forth year English major learners in Dezful university, Iran, fifty of them who were in the intermediate level, based on the scoring system of the university, were recruited. They were given a topic to write before intervention. Then, the fifty participants passed through twenty-hour instruction on micro and macro DMs, based on Belles-Furtuno’s (2004) classification of discourse markers. The mentioned classification included both sentential and supra sentential markers. In the process of explicit instruction (EI) of DMs, they were given various exercises and activities to apply DMs and learn the function and usage of these units and input flood (IF) was performed along with corrective feedback (CF) with the help of the teacher with their mistakes and misunderstandings of DMs. After intervention, they were given another topic to write to examine if EI+IF of DMs could help them improve fluency, accuracy, and complexity of their writing. To quantify the results the Wolfe-Quintero (1998) method was used and it was unveiled that all the three components of writing improved after intervention, which practically means instruction of DMs could enhance learner’s writing in the three aspects. The findings can be used by teachers and syllabus designers to consider DMs as one of the most crucial components in writing courses.

scholarly journals How EFL learners react to a learning framework integrating learning records on multiple systems

2019 ◽  
pp. 345-349
Author(s):  
Hiroya Tanaka ◽  
Akio Ohnishi ◽  
Ken Urano ◽  
Shinya Ozawa ◽  
Daisuke Nakanishi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Multiple Systems ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Japanese English

This paper reports on the learning framework integrating a web e-portfolio and two mobile applications. It also reports on a preliminary study on how learners used different systems or materials to study for vocabulary tests in a particular general English course at a Japanese university, and how they recognized the usefulness of each system and material. Participants were 66 Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students from two intact classes who completed a questionnaire survey at the end of the course. The results of the survey revealed that, although the participants generally evaluated the usefulness of the different systems and materials in a similar way, one of the mobile applications was most often used to prepare for the in-class vocabulary tests followed by the e-portfolio and the wordlist.

scholarly journals 大学生の英語学習における動機減退要因の予備調査—Preliminary study of demotivating factors in Japanese university English learning

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Likert Scales ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Affective Factors ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Preliminary Study

Abstract This research focused on EFL learners’ demotivation and investigated what affective factors were related to Japanese EFL learners’ demotivation and whether or not English learners’ demotivated attitudes were unique to English study. 122 university students completed two self-evaluation questionnaires using Likert scales. Factor analyses were run on the responses, and correlations between factors were examined. One of the resulting factors was amotivation, which positively correlated with an aversion to making an effort, resistance to grammar and vocabulary learning, and anxiety about using English. The results indicated that demotivated English learners tend to make less effort. This likely lowers their competence, which in turn may raise their anxiety of using English. Furthermore, examination of aversions to making an effort implies that demotivated English learners tend to have an insular mentality, and show difficulty in making an effort which was not exclusive to English. 本論では、EFL学習者の「動機減退 (demotivation)」 に注目し、どのような要因が英語学習におけるdemotivationと結びついているのか、またdemotivationは英語学習に限ったことなのかを調査した。122名の大学生による2つのアンケート調査の回答を因子分析し、下位尺度間相関を調べた。その結果、特に、「無動機 (amotivation)」要因は「文法・語彙学習への抵抗感」、「努力嫌い」、「英語使用への不安」との間に正の相関が見られた。動機づけの低い学習者は、あまり努力をせず英語の習熟度も低くなりがちで、英語使用への不安や、英語に限らず努力することが苦手だという傾向がみられた。

scholarly journals TEST-TAKING ANXIETY AMONG EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN TOEFL TEST: A CASE STUDY FROM INDONESIAN CONTEXT

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Muliawati ◽  
Nyak Mutia Ismail ◽  
Lismalinda ◽  
Budi Rizka
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
University Students ◽  
High Stake ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Test Taking ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
English Classroom ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose of the study: This research aimed at investigating the extent of anxiety experienced by TOEFL test-takers in the Indonesian context as EFL learners. Methodology: The participants of this study were 50 university students from various non-English majors. They were selected by using purposive sampling. The research design was descriptive quantitative method, in which a 10-question questionnaire was used as the research instrument. The questions were scored by using a five-point scale and the data were analyzed by using the three steps of data analysis. Main Findings: The result of the data analysis showed that more than 80%percent of students experienced moderate anxiety before and during the TOEFL test-taking while the rest (20%) suffered from mild anxiety. Applications of this study: The research findings can benefit TOEFL Preparation classes’ instructors, by which they can take the anxiety variable into account when teaching TOEFL so that the level of students’ anxiety before and during the test can be minimized. Novelty/Originality of this study: Relatively little research examined EFL students’ anxiety in the TOEFL test. Others are much devoted to the anxiety aspects within English classroom contexts such as in anxiety in reading, writing, and speaking skills, the relationship between anxiety and motivation, as well as intelligence dominance among non-low proficiency students. Therefore, this research is devoted to a high-stake test (TOEFL test), which has not been studied previously by any researchers.

scholarly journals The Differential Effect of Two Types of Direct Written Corrective Feedback on Noticing and Uptake: Reformulation vs. Error Correction

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 131 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Santos ◽  
Sonia López Serrano ◽  
Rosa M. Manchón
Keyword(s):  
Error Correction ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Learning Potential ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Written Corrective Feedback ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Instructed Sla ◽  
Writing Task

Framed in a cognitively-oriented strand of research on corrective feedback (CF) in SLA, the controlled three- stage (composition/comparison-noticing/revision) study reported in this paper investigated the effects of two forms of direct CF (error correction and reformulation) on noticing and uptake, as evidenced in the written output produced by a group of 8 secondary school EFL learners. Noticing was operationalized as the amount of corrections noticed in the comparison stage of the writing task, whereas uptake was operationally defined as the type and amount of accurate revisions incorporated in the participants’ revised versions of their original texts. Results support previous research findings on the positive effects of written CF on noticing and uptake, with a clear advantage of error correction over reformulation as far as uptake was concerned. Data also point to the existence of individual differences in the way EFL learners process and make use of CF in their writing. These findings are discussed from the perspective of the light they shed on the learning potential of CF in instructed SLA, and suggestions for future research are put forward.

scholarly journals A comparison of focused and unfocused corrective feedback in Japanese EFL writing classes

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16
Author(s):  
Bradley D. F. Colpitts ◽  
L’Shawn Howard
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
University Students ◽  
Group Treatment ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Argumentative Essays

Abstract Though corrective feedback (CF) has generally been accepted as an effective means for improving student writing, some debate still exists as to whether focused (narrow) or unfocused (broad) CF is more effective in improving student writing in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. A comparative study was undertaken of two groups of high-proficiency Japanese and international students of English at one private university in the Kansai area of Japan. A third control group who did not partake in any corrective feedback were also used for comparison. Both groups of students wrote argumentative essays on a subject of their choosing over the course of eight weeks. The first group, Treatment Group A, was comprised of seven Japanese and non-Japanese university students (n = 7) who were trained in giving meta-linguistic (error coded), computer-mediated unfocused peer CF. The second group, Treatment Group B, was comprised of seven Japanese university students (n = 7) who were trained in giving meta-linguistic, computer-mediated focused feedback on five errors identified as being the most common in an initial diagnostic writing sample done in the first week. The initial draft, post-peer CF draft, post-teacher CF draft, and final draft were then analyzed. Students’ ability to correctly resolve errors, and the number of errors per 100 words that emerged in each draft were then examined. The results suggest that unfocused peer and teacher CF may be a more effective means of reducing student errors in writing, possibly because it provides more overall learning opportunities.

Teaching Sarcasm to Japanese University Students: Pilot Workshop and Plans for Future Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-14
Author(s):  
Marisa Lucian
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
University Students ◽  
Future Study ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
L2 Pragmatics ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
American Media ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Over Time

In the field of L2 pragmatics, the use of humor is researched far less than other areas, with sarcasm taking up an even smaller percentage of those studies. Despite this, the ubiquity of sarcasm in American media and casual conversation leads many L2 learners of English to struggle to fit in and be in on the jokes, which in turn points to the importance of teaching sarcasm to EFL students. In a pilot workshop, this researcher looked into the potential effects of using explicit instruction, paired with samples of American media and gifs, to teach sarcastic play frames endemic to North America. Participant interviews showed promising effects, which has led the researcher to design a study to examine the effects more concisely over time. 第二言語の語用論の分野のうち、ユーモアに関しての研究は他の分野より比較的少ないです。特に皮肉に関しての研究が割合として非常に少ないです。それにもかかわらず、アメリカのメディアや日常会話的な英語では皮肉がよく使われるため、多くの第二言語の学習者は溶け込もうとして冗談を理解しようとするため、英語学習者に皮肉を教えるのは重要だと思われます。筆者は北米のユーモアの枠組みを生徒に教えるため、パイロットワークショップで明示的な指導法と共に、アメリカのメディアや画像を使った指導の影響について調べました。インタビューの結果により、上記の指導法は参加者に良い影響を与えたことが明らかになり、筆者はその影響をより詳細に調べるために研究を行う予定です。

The Roles of Intensive and Extensive Reading Activities in Chinese EFL University Students’ Reading Comprehension Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sijing Fu
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
University Students ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
Intensive Reading ◽  
Reading Activities ◽  
Reading Comprehension Skills

This paper focuses on the appropriate methods for Chinese EFL university students to improve reading comprehension skills. The combination of intensive reading and extensive reading in the teaching environment is suggested in this study. Specifically, in-class reading should be composed of two parts: 1) intensive reading activities involving the explicit instruction of reading comprehension skills; 2) extensive reading activities to increase Chinese EFL university students’ background and vocabulary knowledge, which paves way for the comprehension of the text. After-class extensive reading should be composed of the reading of materials containing the repetition of new vocabulary appear in class, which could consolidate EFL learners’ reading comprehension skills they have already learnt in class.

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