scholarly journals Differential effects of instruction on the development of second language comprehensibility, word stress, rhythm, and intonation: The case of inexperienced Japanese EFL learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 589-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukie Saito ◽  
Kazuya Saito
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Word Stress ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Wh Questions ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Experimental Group

The current study examined in depth the effects of suprasegmental-based instruction on the global (comprehensibility) and suprasegmental (word stress, rhythm, and intonation) development of Japanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Students in the experimental group ( n = 10) received a total of three hours of instruction over six weeks, while those in the control group ( n = 10) were provided with meaning-oriented instruction without any focus on suprasegmentals. Speech samples elicited from read-aloud tasks were assessed via native-speaking listeners’ intuitive judgments and acoustic analyses. Overall, the pre-/post-test data showed significant gains in the overall comprehensibility, word stress, rhythm, and intonation of the experimental group in both trained and untrained lexical contexts. In particular, by virtue of explicitly addressing first language / second language linguistic differences, the instruction was able to help learners mark stressed syllables with longer and clearer vowels; reduce vowels in unstressed syllables; and use appropriate intonation patterns for yes/no and wh-questions. The findings provide empirical support for the value of suprasegmental-based instruction in phonological development, even with beginner-level EFL learners with a limited amount of second-language conversational experience.

scholarly journals UTILIZING STRATEGY-BASED INSTRUCTION ON THE EFL LISTENING ACHIEVEMENT: A QUASI- EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-386
Author(s):  
Ika Hidayanti ◽  
Eko Suhartoyo ◽  
Kurniasih Kurniasih
Keyword(s):  
Strategy Choice ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Listening Skill ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Successful Students ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Better Than

  The current study aims at investigating the effectiveness of using strategy-based instruction on the student’s listening achievement. This research applied quasi-experimental design, and the instruments were pretest and posttest. Both tests were about putting the pictures in order and form completion.  Prior to strategy choice, this study utilized Posteriori Taxonomy of Strategies of Learning English Listening Skill (Zuhairi & Hidayanti, 2014) especially focusing on the use of eight strategy categories deployed by successful students (Hidayanti & Umamah, 2018). Gaining the result from Independent t-Test analysis, it was found out that the experimental group outperformed better than their counterparts in control group. Thus, Strategy-based instruction plays important role to enhance and improve the EFL learners’ listening skill. 

scholarly journals Language Proficiency through Vocabulary Development: A Framework

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boumediène BENRABAH
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Language Proficiency Test ◽  
Experimental Group

The global aim of the present research paper is an attempt to reach a threshold level of the learning of a foreign language (English) through the development of vocabulary. Observing the very limited rate of use of English in the Algerian community, English as Foreign Language (EFL) students, actually, need to progress in the mastery of that language by reading and/or listening to texts or messages intensively. To achieve this goal, subsequent procedures should take place by giving the foreign language a rather more appreciable position in the community such as the one held by a second language. To be down-to-earth, a brief survey on the linguistic situation in Algeria is exposed where neat clarification of second-foreign language status in the community is laid out to show that the more a (foreign) language is explicitly exposed in its manifold forms, the more are learners, in that community, likely to acquire it as a second language. However, the assumption of presenting the receptive skills (reading and listening) as the most appropriate means for the growth of foreign language vocabulary is supported by Krashen’s input theory where any input to be understood, should come at EFL learners’ capacity to read/listen and decode easily the meaning. In due course, First year EFL students have been subject to a language proficiency test-‘a pre-test then a post-test’. This typical experimental design is an intervention study which contains two groups: ‘the treatment or experimental’ group which receives the treatment, or which is exposed to some special conditions of intensifying vocabulary learning through a varied, comprehensible input; and a second group of EFL learners- the control group- whose role is to provide a baseline. The findings showed better scores among the experimental group compared to the other group. Actually, the results proved the adequacy of the adopted theory.

scholarly journals Enhancing Iranian EFL learners’ speaking fluency through using task-based activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Hashemifardnia ◽  
Hosna Rasooyar ◽  
Mehrdad Sepehri
Keyword(s):  
Placement Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Third ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Task Based Instruction ◽  
And Control ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Fluency Task

This study examined the effects of task-based activities on Iranian EFL learners’ speaking fluency. For this study, 50 Iranian participants were selected from students based on Oxford Quick Placement Test. The selected intermediate participants were then randomly divided into two equal groups: experimental and control. After a pre-test, a treatment was started; in the first session of the treatment, the task of ‘buying’ was given to the participants to be performed in a near authentic context. In the second, the third and the fourth sessions of the treatment, the task of ‘ordering food’, ‘ordering a bus ticket’ and ‘visiting a doctor’ were given to the participants, respectively. The control group did not receive task-based instruction. At the end of the experiment, a post-test for finding their speaking fluency was done. The findings revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group (p < 0.05). Keywords: Iranian EFL learners, speaking fluency, task-based speaking activities

scholarly journals The Effects of Various Kinds of Form-Focused Instruction on Learners' Ability to Comprehend and Produce Polite Requests in English

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Takimoto
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Structured Input ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Inductive Treatment ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Japanese Learners

This study involving 60 Japanese learners of English investigated the effects of various kinds of form-focused instruction on learners' ability to comprehend and produce polite requests in English. Each treatment group received one of the following: (a) deductive instruction; (b) inductive instruction with problem-solving tasks; or (c) inductive instruction with structured input tasks. These tasks all involved explicit input-based instruction and were intended to test for differences in deductive versus inductive treatments. Treatment group performance was compared with that of a control group on a range of input- and output-based pretests, posttests, and follow-up tests. The results indicate that the three treatment groups performed significantly better than the control group, suggesting that in this study explicit input-based instruction was effective both deductively and inductively for learners' comprehension and production of English polite requests. There was also some indication that inductive treatment may be superior in the longer term.

scholarly journals Development of Responsive Writing Ability: the Chance Virtual Instruction Creates

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 881-889
Author(s):  
Gholam-Reza Abbasian ◽  
Atiyeh Zeinalian Bafandeh
Keyword(s):  
Control Group ◽  
Writing Ability ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Virtual Instruction ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Effective Role ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Experimental Group

The ability to write and respond in a formal manner is an important skill in different areas. It has been seen that learners have problem with how to write and/or to respond in a formal manner. Being a quasi-experimental study, this study investigated the opportunities virtual instruction creates for the development and assessment of English responsive writing ability. The underlying premise was that virtual instruction, i.e., e-learning, can assist foreign language learners in the development of their general responsive writing ability. However, the role of instructional setting could not be so easily overlooked. So, the purpose of the present study was to recognize if there is any difference between EFL and ESL learners general responsive writing ability. In order to meet the objectives, 60 learners, divided into ESL and EFL groups, participated in this study. The ESL group consisted of 20 participants and 40 EFL learners were divided into two groups; one as the experimental group which received virtual instruction, while the other as the control group received class-based instruction. The study employed a process of exchanging emails in order to trace responsive writing ability development. Findings indicate that virtual instruction as far as the responsive writing ability was concerned, has an effective role in enhancing the learners written responses. Furthermore, these findings also show that the learners of the two EFL and ESL experimental groups significantly outperformed the EFL Control group, though the EFL experimental group outperformed both ESL and control groups. The findings also indicate that the EFL learners development depends on the researchers responsive written feedback.

scholarly journals The Effect of Metalanguage on Grammar Noticing of the Iranian EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Anita Roshan ◽  
Ali Elhami
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Communicative Language Teaching ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Experimental Group

<p>Metalanguage did not receive a lot of attention in communicative language teaching (CLT) but has remained an untouched area in second language studies. This research wanted to examine the effect of teachers’ metalanguage on learners’ noticing of grammatical points. This research was conducted at two proficiency levels of elementary and intermediate. In each level of elementary and intermediate, two groups were chosen, an experimental and a control group. In the experimental group, the teachers used metalanguage to teach grammar points. However, in control group the teachers used examples to teach grammar points. A noticing task test was administered to the two groups to collect data. The result indicated that the metalanguage had impacted the learners’ noticing, of grammatical points. <strong></strong></p>

scholarly journals Enhancing Iranian EFL Learners’ Descriptive Writing Through a Genre-based Pedagogy

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Mahsa Assadi
Keyword(s):  
Writing Skills ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Special Treatment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Descriptive Writing ◽  
Experimental Group

The present study is an investigation to study the influence of genre-based instruction on Iranian EFL learners’ descriptive writing. After applying an OPT, 60 out of 80 Iranian EFL M.A. male and female students from two Azad universities in Tehran, Iran, were selected as the main participants of the current study. The qualified participants were randomly divided into one experimental group and one control group each with 30 learners. The experimental group had the genres based instruction on descriptive writing. The treatment was given in 16 sequential sessions about 30 minutes at the beginning of each session. The control group received no special treatment and it was taught based on traditional methodology of writing instruction. At the initial stage of the experiment, to estimate participants’ knowledge at the beginning of the study, a pretest on writing performance was run to all participants. In this test, the two groups must write two compositions about the same topics. At the end of the study, a posttest was applied to check the participants’ descriptive writing after having instruction. The participants’ scores on the pretest and posttest were compared to estimate the degree of participants’ progress within the group, and also the scores of the two groups were compared with each other to measure the function of instruction. The analysis of the results presented that learners in both groups had the same ability but learners in experimental group outperformed than learners in control group and it was concluded that genres based instruction as treatment worked well. The findings of this study are useful for learners to improve their writing skills. Another significance of this study is to build learners’ confidence to echo their voice in the international educational contexts and to publish their articles in famous worldwide journals.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Using the Lexical Approach to Developing Ethiopian EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Competence

HOW ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-93
Author(s):  
Addisu Sewbihon-Getie
Keyword(s):  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Instructional Approach ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Lexical Approach ◽  
Experimental Group

This study investigated the effects of teaching vocabulary through the lexical instructional approach in EFL intermediate level students. Ninety-five (95) students participated in a non-equivalent pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design study. The participants were given vocabulary competence pre-test in order to check their homogeneity in terms of their vocabulary knowledge. Then, following the similitude of the results they scored, the participants were randomly assigned as experimental group and the control group. For sixteen (16) weeks, the experimental group was taught by providing students with chunks and/or collocates of words through using collocation dictionaries, concordance programs, chunk-for-chunk translation activities, and corpus-based activities etc. Whereas, the control group was taught the new words in isolation with conventional teaching techniques; for example, translation at single word level, synonyms, antonyms, and definitions. After the instructional intervention, both groups participated in a vocabulary competence post-test. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 22 was employed to analyse the results. In this regard, an independent Samples T-test was run and the findings of the study showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the post-test which implies that teaching vocabulary with a lexically-based instruction can improve EFL learners’ vocabulary competence or knowledge. Furthermore, the study results suggest that the lexical instructional approach should be the focus of future experimental research.

scholarly journals From Rote Learning to Motivation: A Cognitive-linguistic Approach to L2 Acquisition of English Idioms by Chinese EFL Learners

10.29007/2gjs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wangmeng Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Experimental Group

Idioms are non-compositional expressions where the meaning of the whole is different from the literal meaning of their constituent elements (Cooper, 1999). Because of this special nature, idioms can become a serious “bottleneck” for second language acquisition. In the traditional view, idioms can only be learned through blind memorization, since their meaning is considered arbitrary (e.g. Hamblin &amp; Gibbs, 1999). By contrast, in cognitive linguistics (CL), idioms are considered to be motivated (Boers, 2004). It is further argued that such cognitive motivation could facilitate the learning of figurative idioms (Kovecses, 2002) and experimental evidence in this respect is gradually accumulating (Boers 2013, 2015).In this connection, the situation of Chinese learners of English as an L2 has not yet been fully examined. This study aims to fill this research gap through the experimental exploration of the effects of classroom instruction based on cognitive linguistics (CL) on the learning of idioms by Chinese EFL learners. The specific purpose of this study is to verify three hypotheses that involve the short-term and long-term effects of this approach to idiom comprehension and retention and the different effects of metaphor and metonymy. In order to test their validity, an experiment was conducted with fifty Chinese freshmen, including one pre-test, the teaching activity, and two post-tests.The experiment results provided support for CL-based instruction on English idioms. Both of the two classes perform better after teaching activities, but the experimental group has a higher score and actually acquires more knowledge within the same time limit. In the posttest 2, the experimental group memorized the idioms much better than the control group after two weeks and the difference between the two groups widened to a great extent. Comparing the accuracy rates reveals better short-term and long-term learning for metonymy-based than metaphor-based idioms.

The Generalization of Instruction on Genitive Relative Clause in the Acquisition of English as a Foreign Language

2006 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 99-113
Author(s):  
Akihiro Ito
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Relative Clause ◽  
Relative Clauses ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Special Instruction ◽  
Japanese Learners

This study examines the generalization of instruction in foreign language learning. A group of Japanese learners of English served as participants and received special instruction in the structure of genitive relative clauses. The participants were given a pre-test on combining two sentences into one containing a genitive relative clause wherein the relativized noun phrase following the genitive marker "whose" is either the subject, direct object, or object of preposition. Based on the TOEFL and the pre-test results, four equal groups were formed; three of these served as experimental groups, and one as the control group. Each experimental group was given instruction on the formation of only one type of genitive relative clause. The participants were then given two post-tests. The results indicated that the generalization of learning begins from structures that are typologically more marked genitive relative clauses to those structures that are typologically less marked, and not vice versa.

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