“Bear in mind that”: Enhancing lecture comprehension through signaling importance markers

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Kashiha
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Academic Lectures ◽  
Discourse Functions ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract The present study attempts to propose a taxonomy for the discourse functions of importance markers in English academic lectures and examine their effects on ESL learners’ comprehension of important points in lectures. To this end, a corpus of 160 lecture transcripts from the BASE corpus was analyzed to identify and classify the main functions of words and expressions that mark importance in them. It was found that importance is indicated by the following lecture-specific devices and attributes: 1) student involvements, 2) topic announcers, 3) exam-related markers, 4) discourse clarifiers, 5) hedging markers, and 6) message promoters. A total of 62 Malaysian ESL students (38 females and 24 males) participated in this study and were divided into an experimental group and a control group, both of them of the same size. Through 12 forty-minute sessions of explicit instruction, the participants in the experimental group were instructed the discourse functions of importance markers in university lectures, whereas those in the control group did not receive such instruction. The result of the posttest of comprehension of important points indicated that familiarity with how importance is marked in lectures can boost ESL students’ understanding of main topics. The findings suggest that both novice lecturers and ESL/EFL students may profit from instruction as to how importance is indicated by native speaker lecturers through several lecture-specific discourse functions.

scholarly journals Enhancing ESL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning of Metaphorically-used Words

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Veliz
Keyword(s):  
Small Groups ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
English As Second Language ◽  
Lexical Learning ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Journal Entries ◽  
Experimental Group

The present study examined the role of awareness of metaphor in learners’ lexical learning. A total of 35 intermediate English as second language (ESL) students participated in this study. Participants were randomly divided into two small groups. One (N = 17) served as the control group and the other (N = 18) as the experimental group. Both groups were taught several metaphorically-used expressions over a period of six weeks. The groups differed in that the experimental group received systematic and explicit explanations of the source and target relationships that underlie metaphor, while the control group did not receive such instruction. Pre-tests and Post-tests were administered in order to measure lexical understanding of metaphorical items. Two journal entries were given out to students at two different intervals throughout the teaching period in order to tap into their views of how their lexical understanding of metaphor was changing, or not changing, over time. Results revealed that those students who received systematic and explicit explanations on the concrete experiential basis of metaphor showed greater understanding of metaphorical meanings, and seemed more inclined to unpacking their metaphoricity by looking at what lies behind them.

Effects of Consciousness Raising of Metacognitive Strategies on EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension

2009 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 75-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasrin Shokrpour
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Metacognitive Strategies ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Consciousness Raising ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness Inventory ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract The view that explicit instruction of metacognitive strategies is important for raising reader consciousness has become prominent recently. This study was an attempt to determine the impacts of instructing metacognitive strategies on readers’ comprehension. Two groups of students majoring in English language at Shiraz University/ Iran were compared using Schraw & Denisson’s (1994) “Metacognitive Awareness Inventory” to find out the participants’ degree of awareness towards metacognitive strategies. After a period of four months of pretest- treatment–posttest design, the results revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group who were trained to use metacognitive strategies consciously in their reading tasks as compared with the control group. The pedagogical implications of the study are also discussed.

The Effect of Using Students Peer Teaching on Iraqi EFL Students' Achievement in the Course of Library and Research Work

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 693-714
Author(s):  
. Muntaha Sabbar Jebur
Keyword(s):  
Basic Education ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Peer Teaching ◽  
Control Group ◽  
College Of Basic Education ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Experimental Group

          Peer teaching is a strategy that allows the students to teach the new content to each other, and they must be accurately guided by instructors.     The researcher proposes that the use of students peer teaching  may promote students' achievement  and ensure the engagement of all the students in the learning process. Therefore, the researcher employs it as a teaching method aiming at investigating its  effect on Iraqi EFL students' achievement in the course of Library and Research Work .      The study hypothesizes that there is no significant difference between the students' achievement who are taught library and research work by students peer teaching  and that of the students taught by the traditional way. The experimental design of the study is Parallel Groups, Random Assignment, posttest. Each group consists of 35 students, chosen randomly from the Third Year Students at the Department of English in the College of Basic Education. Both groups were matched in terms of their age and parents' education. The experiment was fulfilled in the first course for 15 weeks during the academic year 2016-2017.       The same materials were presented to both groups. This included   units from Writing Research Paper by Lester D. . Post-test was constructed and exposed  The t-test for  independent samples was used to analyze the results and it is found out that there is a statistical difference between the two groups in their achievement because the calculated t- value 2.635 is bigger than the tabulated t- value which is 2.000, and also shown the superiority of the experimental group. The results indicate that the experimental group, who was taught Library and Research Work by peer teaching   was better than the control group, who was taught according to the traditional way. So, the null hypothesis is rejected. Finally, some recommendations and suggestions are presented in the light of the study findings. to a jury of experts to verify its validity and it was administered to both groups.

scholarly journals From Instructed Writing to Free-Writing: A Study of EFL Learners

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402110071
Author(s):  
Saleh Alharthi
Keyword(s):  
Control Group ◽  
Writing Program ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Free Writing ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Structured Writing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

Writing is an intricate process that encompasses various factors and is a key skill for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Thus, writing assignments are vital for any curriculum. One of the essential aspects of effective writing includes good grammar knowledge. Advocates of process writing argue that a free-writing journal is a practical approach to teaching EFL students writing. This study is intended to examine the impact of the free-writing journal on EFL learners. This study was conducted on 80 students from a writing course at the University. Thirty-five students were randomly selected to join the free-writing program—the experimental group—and 45 students were kept in their regular structured writing program—the control group. The experimental group selected topics of interest to them and was encouraged to write in English freely without concern for errors, whereas the control group followed a regular structured writing program where the topics were selected for them and they wrote following a clear guideline. Five major areas were investigated to evaluate students’ progress: the number of words written, spelling, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 students of the experimental group to elicit their perception of the free-writing program. According to the analysis, students in the free-writing program acquired better grammar acquisition than the control group. The researcher also observed students’ perception of free-writing at the end of the study and found that free-writing improved their writing skills.

scholarly journals The Impact of Divergent and Convergent Tasks on Iraqi EFL Students Reading Comprehension Success

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-39
Author(s):  
Sabeeha Hamza Dehham ◽  
Nadia Majeed Hussein
Keyword(s):  
Reading Skills ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Preparatory Stage ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

This research attempted to explore the effects of divergent and convergent tasks on the successful reading of EFL students at the preparatory stage. To verify the analysis, the null hypothesis was established that states "There are no differences of statistical significance at the level of (0,05) among the mean of scores of the experimental group who study according to divergent and convergent task technique and the mean of the scores of the control group who study according to the regular method".  The experimental approach is used by designing two equivalent experimental groups of 32 students studying the technique proposed, and an 8-week (2019-2020) control group of 32 students, three classes each week using the Google Classroom Platform and Telegram. The present study utilized the platform Google Classroom (GC) and Telegram as an educational platform to assist students during their course learning process. The writing skills test was administered after checking with the experts. The results show that there are statistical differences at level (0,05) between the average of the experimental and control groups' reading skills and those of the experimental group. This difference is because the experimental group uses divergent and convergent tasks.

The impact of computer-assisted language learning on Iranian EFL students’ vocabulary learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 210-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Rahimi ◽  
Samira Mouri
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

This study aimed to explore the impact of computer-assisted language learning on Iranian EFL students’ vocabulary learning. Participants of the study were 76 students – 29 males and 47 females – learning English as a foreign language in Parto, Sadr, Poyesh and Andishe Institutes in Ahvaz who were selected after taking the Nelson English Language Test as a proficiency test. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group was taken as control and the other as experimental group. Both groups participated in the teacher-made test of vocabulary, Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), and Word-Associates Test (WAT) as pre-test. During class sessions the control group was taught the vocabulary, in the conventional way, through the printed textbook while the experimental group taught by the software version of the same book. Three ANCOVAs were run to compare the performance of experimental and control groups after the treatment period. The results of the ANCOVAs revealed that using vocabulary learning software was more effective than using printed book on vocabulary learning, vocabulary breadth, and vocabulary depth of the participants. The results of the present study could help EFL course book designers, foreign language institutes, educational planners, material developers, teachers, and learners to provide a better context for EFL learning. Keywords: computer-assisted instruction, computer-assisted language learning, information communication technology, vocabulary breadth, vocabulary teaching software.  

Second language articulatory training and computer-generated feedback in L2 pronunciation improvement

2016 ◽  
Vol 167 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-209
Author(s):  
Meisam Rahimi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Generalization Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Acoustic Feedback ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Manner Of Articulation ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Group 1

This paper investigates the efficacy of articulatory training and acoustic feedback on Persian L2 learners’ production of English segmental (/ɒ/). A sample of 30 Persian ESL learners was recruited- 10 learners were randomly assigned to the experimental group 1, 10 to the experimental group 2, and 10 to the control group. Over a five-week period, the experimental group 1 received training on the manner of articulation of the segment, the experimental group 2 received acoustic-articulatory training and was exposed to CALL software for receiving feedback, and the control group was only exposed to auditory input. The groups were given a pretest, an immediate posttest, and a generalization test. The results of the study showed a significant improvement in the performance of the participants in both the posttest and the generalization test in the experimental group 2. These findings suggest the inefficiency of the mere knowledge of the manner of articulation of the segment and lend support to the feasibility of using acoustic features of sounds and computer-based, learner-centred programs for second language segmental acquisition.

scholarly journals The Effects Of Environmental Problem-based Learning Method On Malaysian Primary ESL Learners’ Vocabulary Achievement

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
Zachary Farouk Chai ◽  
Suyansah Bin Swanto
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Education ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
English Education ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Government ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Vocabulary Achievement

Environmental education has long been introduced as early as the 18th century in western countries, but in Malaysia, it still can be considered as a new start in the year 1979. In relation to this, various programs have been conducted by the government to produce literate individuals that are aware of and concern of environmental issues. In primary English education, there are a few topics on the environment that should be taught by teachers, and environmental education is also considered as a cross-curricular subject. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of environmental problem-based learning (PBL) on Malaysian primary school learners' vocabulary achievement. Environmental PBL is an instructional method that provides learners the opportunities to learn cooperatively in groups to find solutions to any problem. This study employed experimental design, which involved 20 learners that came from an intermediate level of English proficiency. They were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The experimental group was treated with environmental PBL in learning new vocabulary, while the other group was taught using the conventional memorisation method. A set of vocabulary test (pre and post) was used to measure learners' vocabulary achievement and the data were analysed by using independent sample t-test. From the data, it was found out that the learners who were taught by using environmental PBL improved their vocabulary acquisition significantly as being compared to the control group based on the means of marks obtained by the research participants in the experimental group with 12.80 and the mean achieved by the control group with 6.20. Next, this study also showed how environmental PBL helped the experimental group in learning vocabulary based on their orientations which included two themes (effectiveness and participation). Hence, it is suggested that English teachers should use environmental PBL as an effective method of teaching vocabulary to young learners. 

scholarly journals Enhancing Critical Thinking Through Calla In Developing Writing Ability Of EFL Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 302-313
Author(s):  
Hery Yufrizal
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Language ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Writing Achievement ◽  
Writing Ability ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Experimental Group

The objectives of this research are firstly to investigate the application of Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach in improving students’ English writing ability andsecondly to answer what factors influence the students’ writing performance. The subjects of the research were the students of senior high schools in Indonesia consisting of a group of students as experimental group and as control group. The results showed that students improved their writing after they were involved in Cognitive Academic Language Learning Actvitities. Furthermore, the study also showed that levels of students’ critical thinking did not any significant effects toward their writing achievement  

scholarly journals Using Word Study Approach to Improve Omani EFL Students’ Spelling Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 112
Author(s):  
Zainab Al-Yahmedi ◽  
Saleh Al-Busaidi ◽  
Fawzia Al-Seyabi
Keyword(s):  
Basic Education ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Word Study ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Spelling Performance ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Experimental Group

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Word Study approach on the development of spelling performance of Grade Five female students in the Sultanate of Oman. The sample of the study consisted of 66 grade five female students from a Governmental Basic Education school in South Al Batinah Governorate. They were divided into two groups: an experimental group who studied spelling using Word Study approach and a control group who studied spelling using the traditional basal approach. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups in favor of the experimental group. The study puts forward some recommendations for future research and for teaching.

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