The motivations and identity aspirations of university students of German: a case study in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-194
Author(s):  
Riccardo Amorati
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Identity Creation ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
L2 Motivation ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract In the English-dominated field of L2 motivation, there is a need for more research on learners of languages other than English. This is particularly important in English-speaking countries, where issues involving the recruitment and retention of language students are pressing. This study discusses the main qualitative findings of a study on the motivations and identity aspirations of university students of German in Australia. The findings obtained through a questionnaire (n = 86) are complemented by in-depth interviews conducted with a small sample of respondents (n = 5). The study shows that learners of German are instrumentally, integratively and intrinsically motivated and wish to shape identities as international professionals with unique linguistic skills (Exotenmotiv, see Riemer 2006), tourists and anti-tourists, bilingual speakers in a monolingual Anglophone context and educated individuals (Bildungs-Selbst, see Busse 2015). This research furthers our knowledge on this learner population in Australia and, more broadly, on Anglophone elective language learners, as well as students of German as a foreign language in other contexts. It also contributes to our understanding of the link between motivation and processes of identity creation and development.

scholarly journals A Case Study of How Visually Impaired Learners Acquire Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Minh Phuong Tran ◽  
Phuong Dzung Pho
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
The Past ◽  
Depth Interviews

The field of second language acquisition has grown enormously in the past decades. Many studies have been done on how learners acquire English as a second language; however, research on how visually impaired learners acquire English as a second or foreign language has been relatively scarce. It is even more difficult to find such studies in Vietnam. Based mainly on in-depth interviews with two visually impaired Vietnamese adults who have been successful in acquiring English, the present study seeks to answer two main questions: (1) How Vietnamese visually impaired learners acquire English as a second language; (2) What difficulties they have in learning English, and how they overcome their difficulties. The findings of the present study can contribute to the theory of second language acquisition and language teaching. The study can also provide strategies for practicing and learning a language not only for visually impaired learners but also for second language learners in general.

Children's Nonword Repetition Tasks and English Language Learners

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-79
Author(s):  
Sara C. Steele ◽  
Deborah A. Hwa-Froelich
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
English Language ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children ◽  
English Speaking

Nonword repetition performance has been shown to differentiate monolingual English-speaking children with language impairment (LI) from typically developing children. These tasks have been administered to monolingual speakers of different languages and to simultaneous and sequential bilingual English Language Learners (ELLs) with mixed results. This article includes a review of the nonword repetition performance of monolingual and bilingual speakers and of internationally adopted children. Clinical implications for administration and interpretation of nonword repetition task outcomes are included.

Translating ambiguous and nonambiguous Words in a foreign Language

2003 ◽  
Vol 139-140 ◽  
pp. 129-152
Author(s):  
Paul Bogaards ◽  
Elisabeth Van Der Linden ◽  
Lydius Nienhuis
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Lexical Ambiguity ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Bilingual Lexicon ◽  
The Individual

The research to be reported on in this paper was originally motivated by the finding that about 70% of the mistakes made by university students when translating from their mother tongue (Dutch) into their foreign language (French) were lexical in nature (NIENHUIS et al. 1989). This was partially confinned in the investigation described in NIENHUIS et al. (1993). A closer look at the individual errors suggested that many problems were caused by words with more than one meaning which each require different translations in the target language. In the research reported on in this paper, we checked our fmdings in the light of what is known about the structure of the bilingual lexicon and about the ways bilinguals have access to the elements of their two languages. On the basis of the model of the bilingual lexicon presented by KROLL & Sholl (1992) an adapted model is proposed for the processing of lexical ambiguity. This leads to a tentative schema of the mental activities that language learners have to perfonn when they are translating from their mother tongue into a foreign language, The second part of the paper describes two experiments we have carried out in order to find empirical support for such a schema. The last section of the paper contains a discussion of the results obtained as well as the conclusions that can be drawn.

scholarly journals A Closer Look at Language Learning Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 2019 (1) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Joseph Wood
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Language Learning Strategies ◽  
Advanced Level ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Depth Interviews

Language learning strategies (LLSs) are made up of the conscious and deliberate actions that language learners take in order to help them learn a language. It would be useful, however, to know which particular LLSs are the most effective so we can in turn focus on them in class and encourage our students to begin using them. To do this, we should ask ourselves, what kinds of LLSs do advanced-level students use in their own language learning? This study examined that question in hopes of learning the most effective strategies to teach our lower-level students to use. An advanced-level class of 18 second-year university students in Japan was surveyed on the effectiveness of LLSs based on a class-generated list. Following this, six students were selected for in-depth interviews. The survey and interview data found that students believed that speaking strategies are the most effective for learning English. 言語学習におけるストラテジー（LLSs）とは、学習者が言語を学びやすくするために起こす意識的かつ計画的な行動により構成されるものである。しかしながら、最も効果的なLLSsは何なのかを知ることは有益である。さらに授業の中でそれらのLLSsに注目し、学生たちがそれらを使い始めるように促すことを可能にするためである。それを知るために、私達は自分自身に次のように問うべきである―上級レベルの学生たちが英語学習の際に使っているのはどんなLLSsだろうか？本研究では、その答えを出し、初級レベルの学生たちにも最も効果的なLLSsを使って学習させるべく調査を展開している。日本のある大学の2年生18人の英語上級者クラスでは、学生たちが自ら作ったリストをもとに、それぞれのLLSsの効果を調査した。また、6人の学生に詳細なインタビューを受けてもらった。これらの調査により、英語上級者の学生たちが考える最も効果的なLLSsはスピーキングであるということがわかった。

scholarly journals Improving L2 Oral Accuracy and Grammatical Range Through Self-Assessment of Video Speech Drafts

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-142
Author(s):  
Martin Javier Caicedo Pereira ◽  
Jhonny Alexander Lozano Bermúdez ◽  
Luis Alfonso Vanegas Medina
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Scoring Rubrics ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
English Speaking

This action research study examines the effect of self-evaluation on grammatical range and grammar accuracy on the English speaking performance of 27 foreign language university and pre-university students enrolled in three different language centers, in three different cities in Colombia. Participants were asked to record themselves answering different IELTS-type tasks for four times during a 6-week period and score and reflect towards their performance using IELTS-type analytical scoring rubrics and journals. Researchers used journals to register impressions, thoughts, and judgments observed during the process. The findings led to conclude that learners highly benefit from applying self-assessment techniques using videos of their production and a language benchmark to compare with in the improvement of their oral language accuracy and grammatical range.

scholarly journals The perception of Nigerian students of German about serious games: Using ‘Secret of the Sky Disc’ as a case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-200
Author(s):  
Olajumoke Oyedele ◽  
Waliyat Kola Aderoju
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
The University ◽  
Nigerian Students

The use of serious games is usually common, but digital games are not used in the teaching of German. This study aims to find out the attitude of students of German to the possible use of serious games in the teaching of German at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and their impression of the game ‘secret of the sky disc’ introduced by the Goethe Institute for the learning of German as a foreign language. Two different sets of questionnaires were administered to the students of German of OAU. The resulting data were analysed, discussed and conclusions were drawn. The results show the readiness of students of German for the use of digital games in teaching German at the university. The study adds to the limited literature on the use of serious games in teaching German as a foreign language   Keywords: German, Nigeria, perception, serious games, Obafemi Awolowo University, students.

The Effects of Technology-Mediated TBLT on Enhancing the Speaking Abilities of University Students in a Collaborative EFL Learning Environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Tzu-Ching Chen
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Cell Phone ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Collaborative Learning Environment ◽  
English Speaking

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of technology-mediated TBLT (Task based language teaching) tasks where students must collaborate within an English as Foreign Language (EFL) course created to develop their English speaking abilities. A total of 25 students participated in this study and were assigned to groups of 4 to 6. Each group was asked to create seven five-minute video productions in English using their cell phone camera about topics assigned to them by the teacher over the course of one semester. The results of the pre-test and post-test indicated that the tasks were effective in improving students’ English speaking abilities. Class observations and students’ Facebook posts showed predominately positive perceptions towards the task of video making with their respective groups using technology tools. The bi-weekly video productions and the end-of-term survey revealed that the participants believe that technology-mediated TBLT in a collaborative learning environment was beneficial in increasing their English speaking abilities, which highlights the need to shift from teacher-centered activities to learner-centered activities within a collaborative learning environment.

The progressive form and its functions in spoken learner English

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-194
Author(s):  
Lea Meriläinen
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Home Country ◽  
International Database ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Progressive Form ◽  
Influential Variable

Abstract Present-day English manifests ongoing changes in the frequency and semantic range of the progressive form, which presents a challenge for foreign language learners. This study examines the frequencies and semantic functions of the progressive in the Louvain International Database of Spoken English Interlanguage with the aim of finding out to what extent learners are adopting the ongoing changes. This study analyses the effects of an exposure-rich learning environment by comparing learners from countries where English is used in varying degrees outside formal educational contexts and by examining intra-corpus variation between learners who have vs. have not spent time in English-speaking countries. The results reveal that exposure to English in the home country explains some of the variation in the progressive frequencies, but most of all it shows in the extent to which the learners have adopted its new semantic uses. By contrast, stay in English-speaking countries was not found to be an influential variable for all learner groups.

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