scholarly journals Connecting extensive reading to TOEIC performance

2019 ◽  
pp. 257-262
Author(s):  
Paul A. Lyddon ◽  
Brandon Kramer
Keyword(s):  
Reading Fluency ◽  
International Communication ◽  
Reading Scores ◽  
First Year ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Score Improvement ◽  
Fluency And Comprehension ◽  
General Compliance

Although Extensive Reading (ER) has been shown to increase reading fluency and comprehension, such benefits are generally slow to appear. The present study investigated the possible contribution of ER to single-semester Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) reading gains. The participants were 497 first-year students from two annual cohorts at a tertiary institution in Japan. All took a preliminary TOEIC before enrolling in the online ER system Xreading, which awarded them a word count for successfully completing a short quiz on each book they read for homework. Hierarchical linear regression analyses of end-of-semester ER words read and TOEIC reading scores showed a consistent positive relationship between the two. However, semester increases in the former were not reflected by proportional gains in the latter, a finding possibly explained by greater consistency in ER’s implementation across course sections over time. In short, ER words read might in fact be a proxy for general compliance in homework completion rather than a direct cause of TOEIC reading score improvement.

AN ANALYSIS ON STUDENTS’ SPEAKING ABILITY THROUGH STORYTELLING FOR GRADE X SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khairani Nur Adha And Rahmad Husein
Keyword(s):  
Research Finding ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
First Grade ◽  
First Year ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Oral Test ◽  
Fluency And Comprehension ◽  
Low Ability

The aim of this research was to find out the ability of the first year students in speaking by using storytelling at MAS. Al-Jam’iyatul Wasliyah. The design of this research was descriptive research. The population of this research was 20 students of XC class in the first grade at MAS. Al-Jam’iyatul Wasliyah. In selecting the sample the writer used random sampling technique. The total number of the sample was 12 students. The data was collected by using oral test. The researcher only measured the ability of students’ speaking in storytelling by considering five components of speaking: (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension). And their speaking had been recorded by using phone recorder. From the result of analyzing the data, the researcher found that the students’ speaking ability by using storytelling was moderate. It proved by the fact that 4 students (33.33%) classified as high ability, 4 students (33.33%) classified as moderate ability, and 4 students (33.33%) classified as low ability. Based on the data, the students’ score were bigger in the high and moderate level than in the low ability level. Based on the research finding, the English teacher is suggested to consider the five components in scoring speaking ability (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension). The students are suggested to do more practice in pronunciation and fluency, because they dominantly speak incorrect pronunciation and have pauses in the sentences. Students are also suggested to enrich their vocabulary by using storytelling.

scholarly journals The relationship between self-efficacy and reading proficiency of first-year students: An exploratory study

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi A.N.Y. Boakye
Keyword(s):  
Reading Instruction ◽  
South African ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Reading Proficiency ◽  
First Year ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Affective Factors ◽  
The Relationship

Self-efficacy, which is the belief about one’s ability to perform a task successfully, has been widely acknowledged as important in learning. This affective factor, though not explicitly evident, has been said to play an important role in academic performance. However, its role in reading development has not been widely investigated. To determine the relationship between self-efficacy and reading proficiency, a study was conducted with first-year students in a South African tertiary institution. Students’ self-efficacy levels were elicited through a questionnaire and their reading proficiency was obtained through the Test of Academic Literacy levels (TALL), which essentially assesses reading proficiency. An analysis of variance showed a robust relationship between reading self-efficacy and reading proficiency for this cohort of students. Regression analysis conducted with other affective factors showed self-efficacy as the best predictor of students’ reading proficiency. Results are discussed as they relate to previous research and recommendations are made to include the development of self-efficacy in reading instruction.

scholarly journals Improving Students Speaking Skill By Using Activities Through Songs at the First Year Students of Class B Semester of English Department Faculty Teachers Training and Pedagogy Lancang Kuning University

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dahler Dahler
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
English Department ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Field Note ◽  
Class B ◽  
Fluency And Comprehension ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
Teachers Training ◽  
Department Faculty ◽  
Faculty Teachers

The objective of this research was to find out whether students’ activities throughsong can be used as media for improving the students speaking skill. The participants of thisstudy were the students of semester two B of the English department of Education Facultyand Teachers Training Lancang Kuning University academic year 2009/2010. The number ofsubjects in this research was 21 students. The writer conducted an action research to find theanswer of the problem. In solving the problem, the writer carried out in two cycles, whicheach cycle had four meetings. It was done from April 12th, 2010 until Mei 31st , 2010. Theresearcher and collaborator gathered the data in each meeting in cycle 1 and 2 from thechecklist of observation for teacher and students, field note/recording test and interview.After analyzing the data, it was found that the activities through song improved the students’speaking skill and influenced all indicators of speaking skill in term of accent, grammar,vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Furthermore, it built up the students confidence andparticipation in class. The researcher concluded that the students’ activities through song canimprove the students’ speaking skill.

scholarly journals Extensive reading in a tertiary reading programme: Students’ accounts of affective and cognitive benefits

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi A. Boakye
Keyword(s):  
Reading Speed ◽  
Reading Proficiency ◽  
First Year ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Intervention Programme ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Reading Levels ◽  
Cognitive Benefits

This article reports on the extensive reading (ER) component of a reading intervention programme to improve first-year students’ reading proficiency. To make the intervention more practical and to accelerate improvement, an ER component was included in the programme. Two groups of first-year students (high-risk and low-risk) were required to read short stories and novels of their choice and to record their affective and cognitive experiences during the reading to submit as a portfolio. In addition, students answered pre- and post-intervention questionnaires on their reading habits. Students were selected based on their performance in a reading test and interviewed to gain more insight into their reading experiences. The questionnaires were analysed using the t-test, and the interview responses were analysed by content analysis. The findings show that students had benefited from ER. Questionnaire results show that students’ reading habits had improved significantly. The reports from the interviews and inventories show that students’ affective and cognitive reading levels, including reading speed, had also improved. Students also reported on the transfer of reading strategies from their ER to their academic reading. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for reading programmes at the tertiary level, specifically at this institution, to include ER in order to complement explicit teaching, instil motivation and accelerate the improvement of students’ reading proficiency.

scholarly journals Development of laparoscopic skills in Medical students naive to surgical training

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Worens Luiz Pereira Cavalini ◽  
Christiano Marlo Paggi Claus ◽  
Daniellson Dimbarre ◽  
Antonio Moris Cury Filho ◽  
Eduardo Aimoré Bonin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Surgical Techniques ◽  
First Year ◽  
Laparoscopic Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Score Improvement ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Improved Performance

Objective To assess the acquisition of basic laparoscopic skills of Medical students trained on a surgical simulator.Methods First- and second-year Medical students participated on a laparoscopic training program on simulators. None of the students had previous classes of surgical technique, exposure to surgical practice nor training prior to the enrollment in to the study. Students´ time were collected before and after the 150-minute training. Skill acquisition was measured comparing time and scores of students and senior instructors of laparoscopic surgeryResults Sixty-eight students participated of the study, with a mean age of 20.4 years, with a predominance of first-year students (62%). All students improved performance in score and time, after training (p<0,001). Score improvement in the exercises ranged from 294.1 to 823%. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified that second-year Medical students have achieved higher performance after training.Conclusions Medical students who had never been exposed to surgical techniques can acquire basic laparoscopic skills after training in simulators. Second-year undergraduates had better performance than first-year students.

scholarly journals Happiness among first-year students at a comprehensive tertiary institution: An exploratory study

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 467-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marinda Pretorius ◽  
Derick Blaauw
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
First Year ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
Negative Contribution ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
The University

The 1970s saw a significant increase in the volume of research on individuals’ subjective experience of well-being. The subjective well-being of university students has received less attention, however. Student well-being is important, given the widespread concern over the high dropout rates at institutions of higher learning in South Africa (Council of Higher Education, 2013; Van Zyl, 2010). The paper adds to the existing body of literature through an exposition on the possible influence of variables forthcoming from the literature, on the overall subjective well-being of first-year economics students at a comprehensive university. Variables that displayed a significant and positive contribution to subjective well-being were first-year and extended-degree students, the university being the institution of choice, feeling at home, knowing exactly how the university functions, and watching or participating in sport. Variables that were found to be significant with a negative contribution to subjective well-being levels were: worries about tests, studying less than 10 hours per week and, interestingly, living on campus.

AN ANALYSIS ON STUDENTS’ SPEAKING ABILITY THROUGH STORYTELLING FOR GRADE X SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khairani Nur Adha And Rahmad Husein
Keyword(s):  
Research Finding ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
First Grade ◽  
First Year ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Oral Test ◽  
Fluency And Comprehension ◽  
Low Ability

The aim of this research was to find out the ability of the first year students in speaking by using storytelling at MAS. Al-Jam’iyatul Wasliyah. The design of this research was descriptive research. The population of this research was 20 students of XC class in the first grade at MAS. Al-Jam’iyatul Wasliyah. In selecting the sample the writer used random sampling technique. The total number of the sample was 12 students. The data was collected by using oral test. The researcher only measured the ability of students’ speaking in storytelling by considering five components of speaking: (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension). And their speaking had been recorded by using phone recorder. From the result of analyzing the data, the researcher found that the students’ speaking ability by using storytelling was moderate. It proved by the fact that 4 students (33.33%) classified as high ability, 4 students (33.33%) classified as moderate ability, and 4 students (33.33%) classified as low ability. Based on the data, the students’ score were bigger in the high and moderate level than in the low ability level. Based on the research finding, the English teacher is suggested to consider the five components in scoring speaking ability (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension). The students are suggested to do more practice in pronunciation and fluency, because they dominantly speak incorrect pronunciation and have pauses in the sentences. Students are also suggested to enrich their vocabulary by using storytelling.

scholarly journals L2 Extensive reading: online graded readers or ‘old school’ paperbacks?

2020 ◽  
pp. 327-333
Author(s):  
Andrew Thompson ◽  
Saori Tsuji
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Public University ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Graded Readers ◽  
English Program

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate (1) students’ interest in reading English books, (2) students’ interest in using an online Virtual Library (VL), and (3) students’ experiences and preferences relating to the implementation of an online VL within an Academic English Program (AEP). First-year students (N=136) from a public university in southwest Japan participated in this study. The preliminary results provide a deeper understanding of student interest, experiences, and preferences relating to the implementation of a VL within an AEP.

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