scholarly journals THE ROLE OF THE AFFECTIVE DIMENSION IN SHAPING FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ CONCEPTUAL SYSTEM

Neofilolog ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 103-117
Author(s):  
Ariadna Strugielska

The role of affective factors in the process of foreign language learning and teaching is undeniable. Still, despite growing interest in the role of attitudinal variables in foreign language training, the problem has not been much researched from the perspective of multidimensional cognition. Thus, the focus of the article is the architecture of foreign language learners’ cognition situated within a multimodal framework and shaped by particular socio-linguistic experience. It is postulated that the conceptual system of a foreign language learner is unique in being highly susceptible to processing in terms of affective parameters. This hypothesis is corroborated by the results of a pilot study which show that concrete words in the conceptual systems of foreign language learners are associated with affect more than in the case of native speakers.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-74
Author(s):  
Jelena Mihaljević Djigunović

This paper focuses on young foreign language learners’ attitudes and motivations. An overview is given of the main issues in this research area, based on key European studies. Approaches to studying these af-fective learner characteristics are described. Some attention is devoted to data elicitation techniques and the importance of triangulation. Research findings are presented through overviews of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies carried out in different European settings. The latter are presented in more detail, because their findings seem to be more revealing of the early foreign language learning process. The overall conclusion of this review paper is that young foreign language learners’ attitudes and motivations are not stable learner characteristics but change over time, creating layers of  complexity that warrant further research. Suggestions about possible future directions in researching young foreign language learner attitudes and motivations, and the application of its findings are also made.


Author(s):  
Mana Alahmad

To determine the role of form-focused instruction on foreign language learners, this study demonstrates noticing necessary in foreign language learning. In other words, an instruction through input enhancement have an effect on foreign language learning.  The participants in the study were 80 students who enrolled in Shamim Language Institute, but only 60 intermediate learners were selected by means of administering a placement test. Based on the results of the placement test, two matched groups, one as the experimental group and the other as the comparison group, were formed. So, the study utilized the experimental paradigm and tested the notion of focusing on form (FonF) as input enhancement for learning. The enhanced text, including conditional sentences as the treatment, time (pretest versus posttest), and task type (a multiple choice test and a cloze test) were used to conduct the study. The participants in control (FonM) group received the unenhanced text and discussed the topic in that session. And experimental group (FonF) concurrently received the same text enhanced and discussed it. To compare the means and the standard deviations of the pretest and the post-test tasks within the treatment, the researcher used T-Test. The results showed that type of instructional treatment led to differences in language learning in the short-term. The scores of the participants demonstrated that the experimental group outperformed the comparison group.


Author(s):  
Feruza Erkulova

In foreign language learning and teaching, grammatical competence plays a big role within foreign language learners’ language production, especially in spoken form. This article aims to present ideas of developing grammatical competence in EFL teaching and learning. 


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amri Isyam

This article aims at desribing foreign language learning strategies which should be possessed by each foreign language learner because their success or failure doesn’t depend only on the lecturer’s language teaching but also very much on the foreign language learning strategies. There are a lot of foreign language learning strategies; however, at least, there are fourteen foreign language learning strategies that they should possess and apply if they really want to succeed in learning a foreign language. The strategies will be enough for foreign language learners to reach their learning targets if they can possess and apply them as well as possible in learning whatever foreign language, like English for example.  In addition to the fourteen strategies, how they will find or get them will also be presented and discussed in the article. It is advisable that a foreign language teacher or lecturer save a small amount of time of his/her teaching hours to teach those strategies, and that a learner apply them as well they can or make his/her own effort to find and apply them. Key words/phrases: foreign language learner, strategy, and foreign language learning strategy


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-199
Author(s):  
Mahrus Asʾad ◽  
Ahmad Bukhori Muslim ◽  
Wagdi Rashad Ali Bin-Hady

Abstract Similar to other theistic texts, the Qurʾan has some figurative languages which require deep thought for good comprehension. However, how these rhetorical imageries can inspire the development of higher order thinking skills (HOTS) and religious tolerance among language learners, two necessary skills in the information-laden era, is still less known. This study explores how the Qurʾan’s figurative languages serve as an inspiring basis to develop Bloom’s revised taxonomy of analyzing and evaluating thinking skills in foreign language learning. Document analysis shows that many verses in Sura (Chapter) Joseph and other five chapters contain some simile, personification, and metaphor in recounting past prophetical and scientific events humans need to learn for life. Incorporated into learning materials, these figurative languages require the foreign language learners to use their skills of sensing, imagining, and making logical reasoning to discern the real meanings. The discussion of Sura Joseph in the Qurʾan which recounts some prophets of Abraham’s descendants can also increase religious tolerance among young followers of Abrahamic religions. The study recommends some strategies on how language teachers base their teaching and learning practices on these religious scriptures to develop students’ critical thinking and create a more harmonious global citizenship.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Schumacher

AbstractBy adopting “functional plurilingualism” – a recurring concept in its new curriculum, “Lehrplan 21” – Switzerland is pursuing new avenues in foreign language education. The term refers to a goal-oriented approach to foreign language learning and teaching in primary and secondary schools, and implies that barriers to communication can be overcome by exploiting the sum of the individual’s linguistic capacities. In future, language learners will be expected to build on the interrelatedness of languages instead of developing abilities in languages that they keep separate from one another. This view of foreign language education coincides with the recommendations of the Council of Europe’sHaving reached the highest level specified by the CEFR, some learners continue their studies, seeking to maintain or reinforce their competences or to address individual weaknesses. In this article, a group of C2+ learners of German as a foreign language reflect on their desire for linguistic perfection and the notion of “functional plurilingualism” against the background of their own biographies. These learners have a high awareness and knowledge of German (often their third language) and of the learning process, which allows them to make informative statements. The data was analysed qualitatively and subjective theories were reconstructed – an approach that took account both of the multiperspectivity of the topic and of the uniqueness of the individual cases.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amélie Bulon

Abstract Foreign language learners’ phraseological proficiency remains problematic, even at advanced levels (e.g., Meunier, 2012; Meunier & Granger, 2008; Siepmann, 2008). While the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) method is believed to facilitate foreign language learning by fostering input, interaction, and output, little attention has been paid to the phraseological competence of CLIL learners. The present study aims to fill this gap as it is framed within an interdisciplinary project on CLIL in Belgium and specifically focuses on the phrasicon, i.e. the phraseological lexicon, of 5th year French-speaking secondary school learners of English in immersive (CLIL) and non-immersive (NON-CLIL) settings. The paper reports on (1) an analysis of the variety/range of the phrasicon and (2) an overview of phraseological accuracy. The analyses are based on a corpus of written productions of 180 learners. The findings of this study indicate higher frequency, range and accuracy in the phrasicon of CLIL learners.


2011 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 10-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieven Buysse

Abstract This paper investigates how foreign language learners use discourse markers (such as so, well, you know, I mean) in English speech. These small words that do not contribute much, if anything at all, to the propositional content of a message but modify it in subtle ways, are often considered among the last elements acquired in a foreign language. This contribution reports on close scrutiny of a corpus of English-spoken interviews with Belgian native speakers of Dutch, half of whom are undergraduates majoring in Commercial Sciences and half of whom are majoring in English Linguistics, and sets it off against a comparable native speaker corpus. The investigation shows that the language learners exhibit a clear preference for “operative discourse markers” and neglect or avoid “involvement discourse markers”. It is argued that in learner speech the former take on functions typically fulfilled by the latter to a greater extent than in native speech, and that in some cases the learners revert to a code-switching strategy to cater for their pragmatic needs, bringing markers from Dutch into their English speech. Finally, questions are raised as to the place of such pragmatic devices in foreign language learning.


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