scholarly journals Politeness strategies in written communications: the issue of Iranian EFL learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 108-126
Author(s):  
Giti Karimkhanlooei ◽  
Narges Vaezi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Politeness Strategies ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge

Abstract The approximation of the pragmatic knowledge of English language learners to native speakers has been a realm of concern for the scholars and researchers in applied linguistics. Thus, this research was an endeavor to figure out the association between the proficiency level and politeness strategies and external/internal modifications in written communication skills in the speech act of requests in Iranian English language learners. To this end, a written Discourse Completion Test (DCT), adapted from Rose (1994), including 8 situations was administered to elicit data from Iran Language Institute120 female and male EFL learners, 60 upper-intermediate and 60 intermediate. The data were sorted out using Brown and Levinson’s politeness strategies taxonomy (Brown and Levinson 1987) and external/internal modifications developed by Faerch and Kasper (1989). The written request utterances provided by each participant were analyzed in terms of frequency and types of politeness strategies, namely, positive, negative, bald on record, and off-record as well as external/internal modifications utilized in requests. The Pearson Chi-Square test results revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between upper-intermediate and intermediate learners’ type of politeness strategies and external/internal modifications.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Politeness Strategies of Disagreement: The Case of Students of English Education Study Program in one State Islamic University in Sumatera, Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 260-269
Author(s):  
Witria Windika
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Education ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
State University ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Politeness Strategies ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Written Test

The pupoposes of this study were (1) to find out the realizations of politeness strategies of disagreement by the sixth semester students of English Education students of Islamic State University in Sumatera, and (2) to figure out the most common types of politeness strategy used by them. The study employed qualitative research. The data were taken through a written test and Discourse Completion Test (DCT). The sample was taken by using cluster random sampling method which consisted of 12 male students and 12 female students. The study revealed that female and male English language learners experienced four types of politeness strategy: positive politeness, negative politeness, bald-on-record politeness, and off-record politeness with negative politeness as the most frequent strategy used by female and male English language learners. The result of the study showed that negative politeness was dominant politeness strategy which had value of 63,33%. The second place was bald-on-record (23,33%), the third place was positive politeness  (11,67%), and the last one was off-record (1,67%). The conclusion of this study indicated that in expressing politeness strategy for disagreement, both female and male respondents tended to perform negative politeness strategy.

Study of Consonant Pronunciations Errors Committed by EFL Learners

2019 ◽  
pp. 48-56
Author(s):  
Ali Akbar Khansir ◽  
Afsaneh Salehabadi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Listening Skill ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Knowledge Of Language

As the topic suggests, the research paper presents Study of Consonant Pronunciations Errors Committed by EFL Learners. Error analysis always tries to resolve language learners’ problems in acquiring second or foreign language setting. Learning to English pronunciation is perhaps as important as learning listening skill, speaking, and spelling. Errors in English pronunciation create several problems for English language learners in their works. In other words, most of the English language errors of pronunciation are due to the lack of knowledge of language learners. However, all the students in our sample are of age group (16-25) at Bushehr language institute and they are all Iranian nationals. In addition, all of them were female learners. An English pronunciation (consonant) test was used to get information about the knowledge of the learners in English pronunciation. Findings of this article indicated that the first and second hypotheses of this article were accepted, but the third hypothesis was rejected. However, the findings of this paper showed that the Iranian EFL students have problem to pronounce English sounds correctly.

scholarly journals Teaching and Learning Vocabulary: What English Language Learners Perceive to Be Effective and Ineffective Strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Seyyed Hatam Tamimi Sa’d ◽  
Fereshte Rajabi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Strategy Training ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Language Teachers

Vocabulary constitutes an essential part of every language-learning endeavour and deserves scholarly attention. The objective of the present study was three-fold: 1) exploring Iranian English language learners’Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs), 2) examining language learners’ perceptions of vocabulary learning, and 3) exploring Iranian English language teachers’ Vocabulary Teaching Strategies (VTSs). In total, 145  intermediate learners of English as a foreign language, consisting of 114 males and 31 females aged 15 to 27, participated in the study. The triangulated data were collected using three tools: questionnaires, interviews, and class observations. Sixty-seven learners (31 females and 36 males) filled out a 56-statement questionnaire, adopted and adapted from Takač (2008) and translated into Persian. The questionnaire comprised two parts, enquiring as to the learners’ VLSs and the teachers’ VTSs. The findings indicated that females and males differed significantly in their reported VLSs and their teachers’ use of various VTSs. Additionally, 78 learners were interviewed as to their perceptions of effective and ineffective VLSs as well as VTSs. The findings revealed that the most effective VLSs were reported to be: a) reciting, repeating and listening to words, b) using words, and c) memorising words while the most effective VTSs revolved around: a) explanation, b) repetition, and c) dictation. The observations also confirmed the findings obtained via the questionnaire and interviews. In general, the findings are indicative of the limited repertoire of vocabulary acquisition techniques employed by Iranian EFL learners, hence the need for strategy training in how to acquire vocabulary. 

The Use of ICT in an English Classroom

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-67
Author(s):  
Tilen Smajla
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
The Republic ◽  
English Classroom

The paper presents the results of a study on the attitudes of young Slovenian foreign language learners. The survey was conducted in five public elementary schools from different regions of the Republic of Slovenia. Four hundred six pupils aged 7 to 12 years (grades 2 to 4) declared their willingness to participate. One hundred thirty-eight of them or 34% (4th grade) were asked whether they used ICT during English lessons, homework, and vocabulary study. A quantitative research paradigm using crosstabs was conducted. In the case of gender, the results of the Chi-square test show a statistically significant difference in attitudes towards the use of mobile phones during English lessons and homework, while no statistically significant differences were found for the variable age. Such results should motivate language teachers and policymakers to adapt their teaching methods and allow for a careful use of ICT in language teaching.

scholarly journals How EFL Learners Fill in the Blanks of an X-test: Think-Aloud Protocol

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Hamid Ashraf ◽  
Mona Tabatabaee Yazdi ◽  
Aynaz Samir
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Think Aloud ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Test Taking ◽  
English Instruction ◽  
Shed Light

Since SLA literature remains researchers unaware of the mental processes involved in the X-Test taking (in contrast to C-Test which there are plenty of available related studies), this article aims at exploring cognitive strategies that EFL learners may use while answering an English X-test, which like the C-Test has been modified, adapted and used in many research papers. To this aim, thirty EFL respondents from Mashhad, Iran, were randomly asked to answer a reliable and valid X-test. All of them participated in introspective methods of think-aloud and retrospective interviews during and after the test administration. To analyze the data only the exact word scoring procedure was employed. The results showed participants used various cognitive strategies in taking the X-Test. It was also revealed that respondents experienced more strategies when filling out an X-Test comparing to related literature of C-test, which could be an indicator of the importance job of cognition in X-Test taking. It is hoped that the article can shed light on the underling cognitive strategies that English language learners’ use, and provide a chance for educators who want to better understand the learners’ cognitive processes in order to assist them identify problems and improve their English instruction.

scholarly journals Teacher’s Narration of Teaching Critical Literacy: It’s a KEY for Raising Students’ Awareness in Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Iman Tohidian ◽  
Ali Khorsandi Taskoh
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
Social Action ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Associate Professor ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Research Students

To be literate, students need to able to think critically and read between the lines to find the implicit meanings and ideologies. To help Iranian English language learners learn writing as a social action and not independent of social (in)justices and (in)equalities, we included critical literacy in a writing course at the University of [for anonymity]. We intend to illuminate teacher’s narration about raising students’ awareness towards (mal)practices, (in)justices, and (in)equalities of the society in their writings.To do so, all 52 undergraduate 3rd-year-EFL learners of English Literature and Translation participated in our writing class. The teacher was also an associate professor (50 years old) with critical literacy as his main area of research. Students were required to write essays as mid-term and final exams. The teacher’s reflection on the course in general and on the EFL learners’ reflective essays highlighted that teaching writing through critical literacy helped students realize that writing is a process dependent on different social and political issues.Students’ growth in critical consciousness through their writing reminds teaching practitioners, policy-makers, and teacher educators to provide innovation in their classrooms to empower language learners with teaching methodologies contrary to what they are accustomed to during their learning.

scholarly journals A Study of Form and Content of Private Speech Used by Iranian EFL Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 874
Author(s):  
Ehsan Alijanian ◽  
Saeed Ketabi ◽  
Ahmad Moinzadeh
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Private Speech ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Mind

From the sociocultural point of view, the investigation of private speech is important in seeing how the mind works. Yet, not much is known about the form and content of private speech. A group of English language learners were required to talk about some topics of their reading courses. Their voices were recorded and the private speech used by them were identified. It was found that the main role of the loud and silent forms of the private speech in the data is to help learners manage the interaction. Private speech is embedded within the speech context and it needs to be explained in the context in which it happens.

scholarly journals Exploring Gender-based Language Identity Among Iranian EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Hossein Khodabakhshzadeh ◽  
Mansooreh Hosseinnia ◽  
Fatemeh Ahmadi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
American English ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Identity ◽  
Australian English ◽  
Gender Based

The purpose of this study is examining the language identity among male and female language learners in Iran. 1268 English language learners from different parts of the country from different ages and Iranian ethnicity and English language proficiency levels participated in this research. Validated and reliable scales of measuring language identity was used. The results of this study revealed that male and female English language learners are significantly different in their language identity and Iranian English language learners are in a moderate level of language identity. Moreover, the majority of the participants in each gender (male: 35.52%, and female: 50.88%) chosen American English as their favorite pronunciation kind, females (41.04) prefer Persian English more than males (20.94), and the lowest percent among male learners is related to Australian English (7.05) and among female learners is related to Canadian (1.54). 

scholarly journals Dominant and Gender-Specific Tendencies in the Use of Discourse Markers: Insights from EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahboobeh Tavakoli ◽  
Amin Karimnia
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Specific

This study followed two objectives: it primarily investigated the types of discourse markers (DMs) used in thespoken language of Iranian advanced EFL learners, and then explored the possible impact of gender on theparticipants’ use of DMs. To this end, 40 male and female EFL learners selected from an English language instituteparticipated in this study. The data were gathered through class observations. The researchers used Fraser’staxonomy of DMs and Fung’s category of interpersonal DMs as the theoretical framework of the study. To analyzethe data descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Results of the frequency test revealed that “and” was themost commonly used elaborative DM, whereas “but” was the most frequent contrastive DM. “Because” and “by theway” were respectively the only reason and topic-related DMs used by the participants, while “sure” was the mostfrequent interpersonal DM. In addition, results of the chi-square test revealed that learners significantly employedinterpersonal DMs more than the other sub-classes of DMs. Concerning the role of gender in the use of DMs, resultsdemonstrated that females significantly used more DMs compared with the males.

scholarly journals EFL Learners’ Note Taking: The Effect of Listening Questions and Activities

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Masoud Zoghi ◽  
Pooya Drood
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Note Taking ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Choice Group ◽  
True False

In this comparative study, an attempt was made to examine the effects of two types of listening questions and activities on the quantity of note taking of intermediate EFL learners. In so doing, the researchers selected a sample of 30 intermediate English language learners randomly assigned to two comparison groups—Multiple-choice Group and True-false Group. The instrument for data collection was note taking papers of students from which the total number of words for each language learner was calculated. Results showed that the True-false Group gained higher scores in note taking quantity as compared with Multiple-choice Group. Based on the results of this study, it is imperative that EFL teachers pay serious attention to the types of activities and questions used in class as they can have an influence on the ways foreign language learners use note taking as a learning strategy.

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