scholarly journals Iranian English Language Learners’ Attitude towards their Accent in English Language: An Ecological Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Rajablou ◽  
Majid Elahi Shirvan
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
The Public ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
Accented English ◽  
Emerging Pattern

AbstractWith the spread of English around the world and the recognition of English as a lingua franca (ELF), a large number of studies have investigated the attitudes of learners towards different varieties of English as well as their related accents. However, this attitude towards L1 accented English within the context of Iran has not been explored yet. Thus, the present study ecologically investigated the attitudes of Iranian English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners towards their L1-accented English based on Bronfenbrenner’s (1993) nested ecosystems model consisting of micro-, meso-, exo-, and macro-systems. To do this, a triangulation of data collection using an attitudinal questionnaire distributed among 157 respondents (118 female and 39 male) and semi-structured interviews with 60 participants (38 female and 22 male) were collected. The findings indicated a dominant emerging pattern of preference for native-like accent within the ecology of Iran along with the acknowledgement of L1 accented English. Maintaining linguistic security and self-confidence as well as teachers’ role and materials used within the microsystem of the class, learners’ background experiences within the mesosystem, policies of English language institutes at the exosystem, and the public view towards accent at the macrosystem contributed to the emerging pattern of preference for native-like accent within the context of Iran.

scholarly journals Students’ Self-reflections of Own Participation in English Language Oral Class

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Han ◽  
Masdinah Alauyah Md Yusof
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Language Communication ◽  
Skills Learning ◽  
Higher Institutions

The English language learners’ needs changes from time to time. In Malaysia, the focus of English teaching and learning has shifted from accuracy to fluency; the effective usage of the language. Learners are expected to use the English language in daily communication and to learn the workplace English language communication skill. Due to this demand, language lecturers at higher institutions are expected to assist English language learners to use the language fluently rather than to concentrate heavily on form. Nevertheless, instigating speaking activities in Malaysian classrooms has never been easy and successful. This research was conducted with an aim to identify the underlying factors that motivate or demotivate students’ participation in an English oral classroom. The data were qualitatively collected via students’ self-reflection reports on their own participation in the English language oral class. It was found that teacher’s personality traits, students’ communication skills, learning environment, students’ motivation, self-confidence and topical knowledge, and fascinating discussion topics play significant roles in students’ participation in the English oral class. Thus, these findings could guide language teachers to consider relevant and creative oral activities to encourage students’ active classroom participation.  

scholarly journals Observing the Effectiveness of Task Based Approach in Teaching Narrative Essay at a Private University

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Hina Manzoor ◽  
Sahar Azhar ◽  
Fouzia Malik
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Private University ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Lexical Resource ◽  
Post Test

Writing is one of the most challenging skills of English language. Learners in Pakistan seem unable to master this skill even after years of using English as an official/second language. The focus of this research was to prove that within task-based learning (TBL) framework, language learners engage in purposeful, problem-oriented, and outcome-driven tasks that yield much better results as compared to traditional teaching methods which often fail to generate the desired output. The aim of this research was to prove that Task Based Approach is quite effective and successful in teaching narrative essay writing with an only disadvantage of time consumption. This study resorted to semi-structured interviews and post-test for data collection targeting the undergraduate students in Pakistan. This action research used purposive sampling and employed qualitative research design since the data comprised of both; final drafts of narrative essays and open-ended interviews. The data collected in the post-task phase i.e. the narrative essays were assessed via writing assessment rubrics presented in the IELTS guide for the teachers (2015). The bands were awarded on the basis of four parameters: task achievement, cohesion and coherence, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. The results delineated that majority of students achieved 5 bands and an overall improvement was observed in the narrative writing skills of students. In the same stead, the students in interview presented the view that Task Based Approach was much more successful in teaching them narrative essay writing.

scholarly journals THE INFLUENCE OF CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE ON TEACHER BELIEF SYSTEMS: NEW FRENCH SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT PROGRAM OPTIONS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katy Arnett ◽  
Callie Mady
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
Teacher Belief ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers Beliefs

This longitudinal case study examines four new FSL teachers’ beliefs regarding the best and worst FSL program for English language learners and students with learning difficulties; the data are drawn from qualitative semi-structured interviews that occurred at the end of the participants’ Bachelor of Education program and near the end of each school year of their first three years of teaching. The case study considers how the teachers did or did not change their views as they gained experience in the classroom.

scholarly journals A Pilot Study: Magic Tricks in the ELL Classroom Increasing Verbal Communication Initiative and Self-Efficacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. p11
Author(s):  
Kevin Spencer ◽  
Stephanie Balmer
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Learner Motivation ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Magic Trick ◽  
Authentic Language

Instructional practices for English language Learners (ELLs) are multifaceted. They must address everything from communication skills to learner motivation. As a means of tapping student curiosity, learning to perform simple magic tricks is a creative task-based language teaching approach that promotes student self-confidence and engages them in interactionally authentic language. The learning of a magic trick becomes the means of helping students to use the linguistic knowledge they already have as well as a source for new linguistic knowledge. Teaching ELLs simple magic tricks is one approach that increases student communication and produces improvement in academics, self-confidence, resiliency, and social skills.

Ethnography of communication

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-223
Author(s):  
Ferhat Karanfil
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Speech Community ◽  
Ethnography Of Communication ◽  
Public Speech ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
The Public ◽  
Intellectual Foundations ◽  
Future Direction

Ethnography of communication is an approach to discourse research that investigates the sequential organisation of talk as a way of accessing participants' understandings of, and collaborative means of organising the forms of social interaction. The objective of current research is to explore the speech of the education minister and how he uses his language indirectly talking on solid innovations. The sample online recordings of the education minister are transcribed in close detail to allow for a fine analysis of the design, exchange, and coordination of actions within the delivery of new implementations. This paper will introduce intellectual foundations of discourse analysis outline its approach to data collection and transcription; illustrate its analytical procedures; and discusses the application of ethnography of communication in the education minister’s speech while addressing the teachers. The results suggest that the use of indirectness and implicit speech making strategies foster the politeness act in public speech. We can conclude that the politicians’ speech delivered to the public may be researched more and it might be a part of discourse competence of English language learners. The future direction of ethnography of communication may focus on transnational context comparing the different countries and education minister’s speech which may help English teachers to teach culture and spoken discourse better. Keywords: Ethnography of communication; educational leadership; discourse; speech community; speech event

scholarly journals Exploring the Use of Written Authentic Materials in ESL Reading Classes: Benefits and Challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Waheeb S. Albiladi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
English Language ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Academic Benefits ◽  
Language Classrooms

The growing popularity of authentic materials provides English language teachers with more resources to practice the real language in language classrooms (Guo, 2012). However, integrating these types of reading materials can be difficult and time-consuming even though there are many benefits to using them to teach language learners how to read. Real-life based texts, which are not specifically designed for educational purposes have been recognized by many educators to be effective and interesting materials. The purpose of this study was to explore language learners’ perceptions about the benefits and challenges of using authentic materials in English reading classes. The study involved 16 adult English language learners enrolled in an intensive English program. Observations of reading classes and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Results indicated that the use of authentic materials leads to many social and academic benefits, such as increasing students’ motivation and their cultural awareness. Findings also suggest that the use of authentic materials are encouraged as they bring the sense of authenticity and reality to the language classrooms.

Service Delivery to English Language Learners in the Public Schools

ASHA Leader ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 8-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin ◽  
Laureen O’Hanlon ◽  
Alejandro Brice
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Public

scholarly journals Peer Observation: A Professional Learning Tool for English Language Teachers in an EFL Institute

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Ejaz Ahmed ◽  
Zaimuariffudin Shukri Nordin ◽  
Sayyed Rashid Shah ◽  
Mansoor Ahmed Channa
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Observation System ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Language Institute

The key aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of English as foreign language (EFL) teachers about peerobservation as a tool for professional development that is implemented in an English Language Institute of a SaudiArabian university. This paper reviews literature on peer observation to develop a conceptual and theoreticalunderstanding of peer observation systems in different contexts. It utilizes a mix-method approach and applies aquestionnaire and semi-structured interviews as data collection tools. Questionnaire is used to get information aboutEFL teachers’ perceptions whereas semi-structured interviews provide an insight into their practices in the form ofpeer observation and future amendments for PD. The participants share their lived experiences who consider thecurrent practice of peer observation a consistent professional challenge due to several factors, i.e. their lack ofautonomy in deciding about the peers, trust deficit between administration and EFL teachers, rarely heldpre-observation conferences due to the loads of teaching hours, observers’ insufficient training and qualifications inconducting PO, and the element of threat and insecurity. Based on the findings, recommendations are made toimprove the existing peer observation system for the benefit of the EFL teachers, English language learners and theinstitute.

Using a Game-Based Mobile App to Enhance Vocabulary Acquisition for English Language Learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Fang-Chuan Ou Yang ◽  
Wen-Chi Vivian Wu ◽  
Yi-Ju Ariel Wu
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Acquisition ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Multiple Sources

The Test-of-English-for-International-Communication (TOEIC) is an important proficiency test for achieving the benchmark of future employment for English language learners worldwide. However, game-based apps for acquiring TOEIC vocabulary have remained scarce. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted to examine the effects of the self-developed the smartphone app Saving Alice for optimizing the acquisition of TOEIC vocabulary and spelling among EFL learners. Multiple sources of data were collected to investigate how Saving Alice affected vocabulary acquisition, including a demographic survey, pre- and post-tests on TOEIC vocabulary, and semi-structured interviews. Both the quantitative and qualitative findings showed that Saving Alice significantly enhanced the student learning outcomes, and that frequency of using game-based mobile apps (GBMAs) correlated with learning outcomes.

scholarly journals Virtual Reality in TEFL Context, Instructors’ Perspectives in a Saudi University

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali Al-Gamdi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Interactive Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Potential Strength

The purpose of this study is to explore instructors’ perspectives in a Saudi university about using virtual reality in TEFL context. The sample of the study consisted of 6 instructors randomly selected from different faculties affiliated to Al-Baha University. The instrument of the study is based on semi-structured interviews administered to the targeted participants. The researcher used SWAT analysis to process the elicited data. The Findings of the study indicate that strength points of using virtual reality to teach English are VR is exciting, authentic, and more interactive learning style for English language learners as compared to conventional learning style, weakness points are financial setbacks of implementing VR and the inexperienced instructors who need training to implement VR to teach English. The results indicate that there is only one main threat of using VR to teach the English language in the Saudi context, namely that VR could be a distraction for some students. This study generates new insights into processes of adopting VR to teach English language in the Saudi context and the potential strength, weakness, opportunity, and threats to such adoption in the target university. The study concluded with recommendations to the concerned institutions for the betterment of using VR in EFL contexts. The researcher suggests further studies to be conducted in similar contexts for using VR in EFL institutions.

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