scholarly journals Cross-Disciplinary Lessons in an Elementary Public Institution

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-102
Author(s):  
Josefina Quintero ◽  
Diana Yurany Álvarez ◽  
Andrea Arcila

This article reports the results of an action-research study, carried out in the fourth grade of a Colombian public elementary school, which sought the integration of the teaching of English and the natural sciences through cross-disciplinary lessons that followed the principles of content-based instruction. Observation, action plan, and evaluation were the ongoing research stages. Interviews, workshops, and the students’ portfolio were the main instruments used to collect data. Results revealed that the cross-disciplinary lessons were appropriate and useful to connect the foreign language learning with other school subjects. Beginner students of English demonstrated an enhancement in the communicative skills and developed contextualized learning strategies, which proved the importance of integrating English with scientific contents as a contribution to curriculum innovations.

Author(s):  
Olena Ivashko

The article tackles the problem of teaching foreign languages to seniors. The general trends in FL education for the third-age learners are outlined. The institutions in which seniors can study foreign languages in Poland are enumerated. The psychological, physiological, methodological and social peculiarities of teaching a foreign language to the third agers are analyzed. Special emphasis is laid upon educational needs of the Third Age learners. Some language learning strategies which help seniors’ foreign language learning are suggested.


2014 ◽  
Vol 538 ◽  
pp. 460-464
Author(s):  
Xue Li

Based on inter-correlation and permeability among disciplines, the author makes an attempt to apply the information science to cognitive linguistics to provide a new perspective for the study of foreign languages. The correlation between self-efficacy and such four factors as anxiety, learning strategies, motivation and learners’ past achievement is analyzed by means of data mining and the extent to which the above factors affect self-efficacy in language learning is explored in this paper. The paper employs the decision tree algorithm in SPSS Clementine. C5.0 decision tree algorithm is adopted to analyze data in the study. The results are elicited from the researches carried out in this paper. The increased anxiety is bound to weaken learners’ motivation over time. It is obvious that learners have low self-efficacy. It is very important to employ strategies in foreign language learning. Ignorance of using learning strategies may result in unplanned learning with unsatisfactory achievements in spite of more efforts involved. Self-efficacy in foreign language learning may be weakened accordingly. Learners’ past achievement is a reference dimension in measuring self-efficacy with weaker influence.


2014 ◽  
Vol 971-973 ◽  
pp. 2677-2680
Author(s):  
Di Jiao

Factors affecting students’ English learning performances are always debated among language researchers. This research is carried out in art colleges to figure out the students’ preferences in learning styles and learning strategies as well as the relationship between them. Questionnaires have been applied and data have been dealt with by SPSS. This research has shown that students in the art college tend to be visual and individual learners, and thus they prefer to adopt metacognitive, memory and affective strategies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (01) ◽  
pp. 67-82
Author(s):  
Rizka Nurul Atika

Many studies have investigated isolated dimensions of learning styles (e.g. field independence/dependence) for their role in foreign language learning, but relatively few studies have used a comprehensive learning styles instrument to determine predictors of language learning strategies used by students. Hence, employing the descriptive and correlational method, this study aimed to identify students’ minor, major, and negligible learning styles, students’ usage of language learning strategies, the difference in the learning styles and language learning strategies based on gender, and the relationships among those three variables. A total of 30 students enrolling in the first year of senior high school were given two kinds of questionnaire, the Indonesian version of PLSQ and SILL. The result revealed gender differences only occurs in compensation strategy, in favor of female students. Furthermore, the correlational study revealed significant relationships between visual style and cognitive and metacognitive strategies; between auditory style and cognitive and compensation strategies. Moreover, social strategies are correlated with tactile, group, and individual styles. These findings are useful for both teacher and student to employ strategies suitable with their learning styles.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-331
Author(s):  
Hélder Fanha Martins ◽  
Maria João Ferro

Among the essential challenges faced by students in foreign language learning processes is vocabulary learning. Lexical competence has been acknowledged as critical to the use of language in which the students’ inadequate knowledge of the vocabulary causes problems in learning a second language. Therefore, learners require being educated with vocabulary in learning strategies when learning a second language. Contemporary research has not scrutinised to the fullest the categories of strategies of vocabulary learning used by learners who are majoring in Accounting.  The main objective of this research was to understand how students use vocabulary learning strategies. For that, we adopted a qualitative approach, based on open-ended individual interviews with fifteen learners. The strategies that were concluded include the monolingual and bilingual dictionary use, usage of several media of English language, learning a word by specific texts, and application of new words in everyday conversation, interrelated to memory, strategies of metacognitive, and determination. These are common strategies and have keenly been used by students.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-118
Author(s):  
Fahri Haswani

In  response  to  an  appeal  from  Indonesia’s  Ministry  of  Education  and  Culture  to  all universities and colleges to improve the quality of tertiary  education toward regional and international standard, language institutions are making great efforts to further promote the  foreign  language  learning  process.  In  the  last  few  years  there  have  been  dramatic changes  in  the  ways  that  languages  are  taught  by communicative  approach  and  the introduction of technological tools. In recent years, the use of technological aids, especially those related to computers, has increasingly become  a common feature of the classroom. There is no doubt that computer based instruction will occupy a more central role in the foreign language classroom in the future. Information technology has drawn the interest of teachers of English as a second or foreign language in non-English speaking countries. The technology integration into  the curriculum is not a single concept which is generated from one  single  theory  nor  does  it  give  full  guidelines  for  the  implementation  in  practical situation. This issue constitutes ideas from many different theories. This paper  discusses the issue of technology contributions in EFL classroom. The question raised in this paper is how technology facilitates  the attainment of course goals.  The answer of the question will help  English  teachers  to  clarify  the  real  problems  of  the  initiative  so  that  the  innovation and possible changes can be aligned with the need of the students. However, this literature review  only  covers  limited  issues  related  with  the  role  of  technology  in  EFL  classroom. Further  discussion  from  other  different  points  of  view  is  still  needed  to  create  more complete description of conceptual foundation of the innovation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-370
Author(s):  
Mirosław Pawlak

AbstractAlthough major advances have been made in research on language learning strategies (LLS), there are some areas that have been somewhat surprisingly neglected by specialists. This applies without doubt to the strategies that learners draw on to better understand and learn grammar rules but also to employ grammar structures in real-time processing, as required in spontaneous communication. In this paper, I outline a research agenda for grammar learning strategies (GLS), identifying three distinct lines of inquiry: (1) identification and measurement of GLS, (2) examination of factors moderating GLS use, and (3) strategies-based instruction as applied to GLS. Although these three areas are to some extent reflective of the main foci of empirical investigations in research on LLS, in each case, I try to demonstrate how cutting-edge theoretical and empirical developments can be applied to the study of GLS. For each of the three areas, I propose research tasks the execution of which has the potential of moving research on GLS forward.


2019 ◽  
pp. 136216881987615
Author(s):  
Mirosław Pawlak

Major advances have been made in research on language learning strategies (LLS) since it was triggered by good language learner studies (e.g. Rubin, 1975). Numerous accounts of strategy use have been compiled, key classifications have been proposed, some progress has been made towards furthering our understanding of the complex relationship between LLS use and attainment, an array of factors impacting strategy use has been investigated, some evidence has been gathered for the beneficial role of strategies-based instruction, and new data collection tools have been developed (see e.g. Cohen, 2011; Cohen & Griffiths, 2015; Cohen & Macaro, 2007; Griffiths, 2018, 2019; Griffiths & Oxford, 2014; Oxford, 2017; Oxford & Amerstorfer, 2018; Pawlak, 2011; Pawlak & Oxford, 2018). While acute problems related to the definition of LLS, their characteristics, their separation from regular learning activities or their actual utility have surely not disappeared, some promising solutions have been proposed (Griffiths, 2018; Oxford, 2017) and calls to abandon the concept have been countered (Dörnyei, 2005). This said, a question arises as to what can be done to move the field forward. Following a brief overview of existing research, the article tackles this issue with respect to the following areas: (1) foci of future research, (2) methodological choices, and (3) consideration of how research findings can inform pedagogy.


SAGE Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401668417
Author(s):  
Meral Seker

The study investigated the impact of scenario-based instruction on language learners’ awareness and use of self-regulated language learning (SRL) strategies to provide an instructional design to successfully promote them. The scenario-based SRL strategy instruction design developed in the study was based on Oxford’s Strategic, Self-Regulation (S2R) Model. Following an experimental design, the data were gathered from foreign language learners ( N = 125) at a state university through three instruments: the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, whole-class discussions, and semistructured interviews. Although the quantitative data from the inventory helped determine the level of reported strategy use by learners, the additional qualitative data were gathered to elicit learners’ reflections to determine SRL awareness during and following the training experience. Analyzing pre- and posttraining results from the control and the experimental groups indicated significant differences with an increased awareness and a higher reported use of strategies for the experimental group. The results are meant to help guide future directions in strategy instruction for foreign language learning.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1128
Author(s):  
Xinxiao Yang ◽  
Dianbing Chen

The teaching of culture teaching has been listed as one of the five goals in foreign language teaching and learning by the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the new Century. However, the beliefs and attitudes of foreign language instructors towards the teaching of culture at the college-level remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate language instructors’ attitudes and beliefs towards teaching culture and the difficulties and barriers of teaching culture to college-level students. This qualitative case study explored the teaching of culture in Modern Language Department at a university through document mining, classroom observations, and interviews of language instructors who taught various foreign languages. Findings revealed two profound barriers, 1) instructors’ beliefs and attitudes, and 2) the lack of professional development opportunities in learning strategies on weaving culture teaching, in foreign language classrooms at the college-level.


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