scholarly journals The effect of gender and language proficiency on the metaphor use in the writing of TEFL students

Author(s):  
Nazila Fattahi ◽  
Musa Nushi

AbstractThe ubiquitous nature of metaphor in everyday life and its significance in second language learning has triggered plethoric research on the relationship between metaphor and language learning. To contribute to the still growing literature, the current study explore the effect of learner variables, namely gender and proficiency, on metaphor use in TEFL students’ writing. To achieve that objective, 27 intermediate and 23 upper-intermediate Iranian TEFL students were asked to write on an IELTS Writing Task 2 topic. Fifty essays were analyzed for metaphor use through Metaphor Identification Procedure (Pragglejaz Group in Metaphor Symb 22(1):1–39, 2007) and Vehicle Identification Procedure (Cameron in Metaphor in educational discourse, Continuum, London, 2003). The data analyzed through t-test and multiple regression analysis revealed the advantage of upper-intermediate students over intermediate students concerning metaphor use in their writing. Gender, on the other hand, did not play an influential role in the students’ metaphor use. The findings of this research and the implications they might have for the field of English language teaching will be discussed.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 516
Author(s):  
Mohammad Owais Khan

The present study attempts to highlight the issues related to the Tribulations and Counteractive measures for teaching and learning English to Intermediate students of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP), India. The language policy in intermediate college education emerged as a social and personal problem. The quality of English Language teaching in majority of Indian Intermediate Colleges presents a very appalling picture. Teachers’ language proficiency, exposure to language and teaching materials is major concerns for quality English language learning. In reality intermediate students’ situation in UP is very difficult. They don’t have good opportunities as the big cities’ students have. These students consider English as a subject not as a language. So they focus only on examination not on the learning. This is an area which needs proper investigation. This study and the remedial measures suggested at the end will hopefully help students and teachers in learning and teaching English easily and appropriately. The study will also be useful for teachers, scholars, course designers and material producers of English language teaching.


10.32698/0141 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Asnadia Binti Alias ◽  
Nur Atikah Binti Noor Rashid

Students in Malaysian Polytechnics must enrol in a second language course as one of the compulsory courses offered by the institution. There is no placement test for polytechnics students to enrol in English language class. Therefore, students with different level of proficiency are mixed together in a classroom to learn English language. Consequently, students encountered difficulties in learning the second language due to feeling of anxiety. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the correlation between students’ language learning anxiety and their language proficiency. This study involved of 96 semester three students from Civil Engineering Department, Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin which have been chosen randomly. A 33 item questionnaire of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was analysed using SPSS 22. The study revealed that the students experienced moderate level of language learning anxiety. Correlations – Spearman Test was used to determine the relationship between students’ second language learning anxiety and language proficiency. Three types of anxiety was tested which are Test Anxiety, Communication Apprehension and Fear of Negative Evaluation. Correlations – Spearman Test demonstrated that only Test Anxiety showed significant relationship with students’ language proficiency. Several implications have been discussed to offer suggestions to the lecturers in dealing with students learning anxiety. Lecturers should be careful in correcting students’ error to avoid students feel humiliated. This is because students tend to feel anxious whenever lecturers correct their mistakes in the classroom. A further research should be carried out by using two approaches; qualitative and quantitative and adds more variables such as attitude and motivation towards learning a second language.


Author(s):  
Ali Al-Issa ◽  
Ali Al-Bulushi ◽  
Rima Al-Zadjali

As a high-stakes international language proficiency benchmark, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) requires different and special Language Learning Strategies (LLS), which pose numerous challenges to its takers. Some Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) majoring in English Language Teaching (ELT), have therefore, failed to achieve an overall score of Band 6 on the IELTS as a language proficiency requirement and a condition mandated by the Ministry of Education for selecting English language teachers among. This qualitatively driven hermeneutic phenomenology study, hence, discusses this issue from an ideological perspective. The study triangulates data from semi-structured interviews made with six fourth-year ELT Student Teachers (STs) at SQU and the pertinent literature. The critical discussion revealed various ideologies about the powerful impact of the IELTS on the STs’ English language development. The findings have important implications for the practices of the teachers in the Omani ELT school system and elsewhere.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Irena Kuzborska

This article is based on the plenary talk given at the inaugural UHAMKA International Conference on English Language Teaching (ELT) and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) (UICELL 2018) in Jakarta, Indonesia, 23 November 2018, and focuses on the explanation of reading as a communicative rhetorical act. Outlining the key features of such reading, it then considers the benefits of reading texts rhetorically. A specific focus is given to the role of rhetorical reading in writing. While the article acknowledges the limited research on the relationship, it provides some evidence that reading texts rhetorical can lead to both more effective reading and more effective writing. A specific technique on how to teach students to read texts rhetorically is also presented in this article.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
Yanghua Peng

The research of grammar has been received much concern at home and abroad and the instruction of grammar is a focus and difficulty in English language teaching. The role of scholastic grammar has been paid little attention to for a long time. Some linguists and teachers believe that the traditional or school grammar should be the key in the classroom instruction, but others argue that scholastic grammar is a vital part in language itself. Based on the theories of second language learning and the viewpoints of Otto. Jespersen and H. Poutsma about scholastic grammar, this article conducts a research in colleges and analyzes the stylistic effect of attributive post-position from scholastic grammar perspective and finds that it is necessary to reconsider the important role of scholastic grammar in college English teaching. The paper ends with a conclusion about some implications of the present research for college English language teaching in China.


This study aims at finding out inadequate English Language Proficiency in spoken English. Apart from study skills verbal blows appear mightier than the physical ones. Not just the words both written and spoken have acquired a significantly crucial and an almost decisive force in contemporary times. Essentially, ours is a society which moves on the wheels of communication though it is only a means and not the end. In English language teaching ( ELT) especially, when English is connected to class room teaching (CRT ) .Self endeavour plays a very significant role in engrossing the attention and attitude of the students. A student has to incorporate a variety of skills as dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, extensive, reading, Exploration, four language skills (LSRW), , dialogue writing, note making, note taking, report writing, email etiquette are part in improving one's English language proficiency effectively. To achieve this object, a lot of reference work has to be done by the students effectively. Since language is acquired only proper self-efforts by the students and learners, study skills will back up the knowledge of understanding a language. When understanding sounds in English, it is easier to improve the accuracy in pronunciation. Learning a language is quite different from teaching any language like English. As English language has a peculiar in its diction of usage, word stress, sentence stress and intonations, keeping attention on them is very important. For improving proficiency, the way we study should be designed and challenged to the present era. Ancient teaching methods, approaches, techniques will be replaced by latest modern smart communication approaches and strategies. For smart learning of study Skills, several factors have been contributed to the adoption of new trends in ELT for improving a learner as adept in English language proficiency. This paper also includes some quick tips on how to teach study skills. It has also been discussed the good study techniques.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Attapol Khamkhien

The objectives of this investigation were twofold: 1) to identify language learning strategies commonly used by Thai EFL learners, and 2) to determine the roles of three variables contributing to their strategy use: language proficiency and motivation. A set of questionnaires consisting of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was given to 1,405 Thai university students studying English. The analysis revealed that, in general, memory strategies were found to be the most common learning strategies, whereas social strategies were the least common. Motivation was reported to be the most significant variables affecting their choices of language learning strategies. The analysis revealed certain elucidating facts that can be utilized in future planning of English language teaching to improve the English performance of Thai learners.


2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Clea Schmidt ◽  
Ellen Pilon ◽  
J.E. King

Reviews of: 'Language Learners as Ethnographers,' by Ana Barro, Michael Byram, Shirley Jordan, Celia Roberts and Brian Street; 'An Intercultural Approach to English Language Teaching,' by John Corbett; 'Critical Pedagogy: Political Approaches to Language and Intercultural Communication,' by Manuela Guilherme and Alison Phipps; 'Test It Fix It: English Verbs and Tenses Pre-intermediate,' and 'Test It Fix It: English Verbs and Tenses Intermediate,' by Kenna Bourke; and 'Silence in Second Language Learning: A Psychoanalytic Reading,' by Colette A. Granger.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Ghamari ◽  
Farzad Hosseini

<p>This study investigated the English language learning status in 18 high schools in Tehran, Iran. The aim was to examine the extent to which the students have achieved English proficiency, due to the type of high school (non- profit and ordinary- governmental) in which they studied. Also, an attempt was made to explore whether the student' performance on vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading, and writing would be different in terms of students' attendance in language institutes. Furthermore, in this study, the subjects' attitude toward English and its effect on the skills was taken into account.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 135-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Lucero-Babativa

This theoretical-review paper presents the construct of interactional identities as part of the study of classroom interaction in English language teaching education. The paper defines interactional identities from social studies and in the field of English language teaching. By listing studies on the matter, the relationship of this construct with classroom interaction is presented from global and local perspectives. Three reasons for studying interactional identities in the ELT field are discussed in the final part of the paper whose conclusions invite to incorporate this construct into de study of what teachers are and do for language learning and use in classroom interaction in English language teaching education.


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