scholarly journals THE ROLE OF LEXICAL FREQUENCY IN MODERATING THE EFFECT OF GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE ON L2 READING OUTCOMES

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Sahiruddin Sahiruddin
Keyword(s):  
Grammatical Knowledge ◽  
Lexical Frequency ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Reading Outcomes ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
English Major ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Grammar Knowledge ◽  
The Relationship

Sentence-level grammar skills are of the important foundations in the mastery of reading skills in second language (L2). Previous studies showed inconclusive findings about the effect of grammar knowledge on L2 reading. This study examines the relationship between L2 reading outcomes and reader-based grammar knowledge as it is moderated by text-based features of vocabulary difficulty. Participants were EFL students (n = 71) in the second year of their English major at an Indonesian university. The participants’ grammar knowledge was measured using a test of sentence-level grammatical knowledge. Text-based vocabulary difficulty was assessed using VocabProfile software (Cobb, 2010). During the data collection period, the participants completed four reading texts, each reflecting a unique combination of two levels (high vs. low) of lexical frequency. This study reveals that reader grammar knowledge influenced L2 reading outcomes. It also shows that text vocabulary difficulty significantly moderated the relationship between reader grammatical knowledge and L2 reading, indicating that the relationship between grammar knowledge and L2 reading for high lexical frequency texts was significantly greater than for low lexical frequency texts.

scholarly journals The Role of NLP Principles as Tools for Facilitating Learning EFL For Saudi Students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed A. Abuzaifah
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Sensory Acuity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Learning English

Learning English language for the majority of Saudi students has always been considered difficult and rarely successfully achieved. “English poses difficulties for many Saudi students due to the low English levels acquired at secondary schools” (Al-Shami, 2004). Additionally, the overall achievement in English language among the majority of Saudi students, after completing six years of studying EFL extensively, is remarkably low (AL-Karood, 2006; Al Buna’yan, 2003; Al Guaid, 1997; Abuammah, 2002). This research paper will investigate, discuss and analyse the NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) concepts; change and modelling, as well as NLP four principles; outcomes, rapport, sensory acuity and flexibility, in order to specify the actual extent to which these concepts and principles can assist the Saudi EFL students to achieve better, easier and faster performance in learning the English language. By the end of this paper, the researcher intends to highlight the relationship between the NLP principles and the SLA learning strategies (O’Malley, 1990), as well as to attempt to describe some possible ways for applying the NLP principles into SLA.

scholarly journals Exploring the role of token frequency in phonological change: evidence from TH-Fronting in east-central Scotland

2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
LYNN CLARK ◽  
GRAEME TROUSDALE
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
Sound Change ◽  
Exact Nature ◽  
Lexical Frequency ◽  
East Central ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Motivating Factor ◽  
Phonological Change ◽  
The Relationship

Recent research on frequency effects in phonology suggests that word frequency is often a significant motivating factor in the spread of sound change through the lexicon. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the exact nature of the relationship between phonological change and word frequency. This article investigates the role of lexical frequency in the spread of the well-known sound change TH-Fronting in an under-researched dialect area in east-central Scotland. Using data from a corpus of conversations compiled over a two-year period by the first author, we explore how the process of TH-Fronting is complicated in this community by the existence of certain local variants which are lexically restricted, and we question to what extent the frequency patterns that are apparent in these data are consistent with generalisations made in the wider literature on the relationship between lexical frequency and phonological change.

scholarly journals TEXTUAL SYNTACTIC COMPLEXITY AND ITS ROLE IN SECOND LANGUAGE READING OUTCOMES IN INDONESIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-187
Author(s):  
Sahiruddin Sahiruddin
Keyword(s):  
Text Analysis ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Reading Outcomes ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Post Test

This paper examines the role of syntactic complexity in L2 reading outcomes across different EFL proficiency levels in an Indonesian university. Indonesian university students (N = 148) at Intermediate and Advanced levels of proficiency read four English passages differing in syntactic complexity. The latter was measured by several widely used text modelling tools. Participants read two low and two high complexity texts and completed a post-test comprehension test. Syntactic complexity had a statistically significant but low magnitude effect size, accounting for 2%-5% of the variance of reading performance between the L2 English proficiency levels. There were also noticeable differences in text analysis measures across the different complexity tools. The usefulness of syntactic complexity as an isolated dimension of text complexity is evaluated. The contribution of this study to the field both in theory and practice is presented.

scholarly journals EFL students’ perception of the role of teaching novels in enhancing writing skills

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-239
Author(s):  
Mutahar Qassem
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Teaching Literature ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Undergraduate Programs ◽  
The Relationship

Applied linguists have different viewpoints on the relationship between teaching literature and language. Language through a literature approach theoretically corroborates the role of literature in developing language skills because it exposes students to different styles of writing and authentic materials. Language-structure-based syllabuses might not be sufficient for developing students' language skills. By contrast, an authentic-based syllabus such as novels and short stories motivates language learning and fosters the development of thinking and language skills. In this vein, this study attempts to investigate undergraduates' attitude towards the role of teaching novels in enhancing writing skills, using a survey in which students provided their opinions on the areas that teaching novels helped improve their writing skills. The students’ responses were analysed, and a one-sample t-test revealed the students’ agreement of the positive role of teaching novels in developing their writing skills at sentence and paragraph levels. Based on these findings, the author recommended the incorporation of novels in the courses of English undergraduate programs, following adequate methods of teaching and selection of appropriate novels that matches’ students’ linguistic levels.   Keywords: Writing skills, teaching novels, EFL students, perception, enhancement

scholarly journals The Role of Exemplars and Lexical Frequency in Rendaku

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin-Ichiro Sano
Keyword(s):  
Current Model ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Lexical Frequency ◽  
Phonological Processes ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis paper examines the relationship between lexical frequency and phonological processes, focusing on rendaku in Japanese. Recently, the effect of lexical frequency on linguistic processes, either direct or indirect, has been confirmed in a growing body of studies. However, little attention has been paid to the potential effect of lexical frequency on rendaku. With this background, I examined the effect of lexical frequency on the applicability of rendaku, and developed an analogy-based model by incorporating lexical frequency. The results demonstrate (i) that lexical frequency affects the applicability of rendaku, (ii) less frequent compounds follow the existing patterns that the exemplar offers, and (iii) that rendaku is psychologically real; in other words, rendaku is productively applied to innovative forms, and such an application can be accounted for by the current model.

The Influence of Phonological and Grammatical Awareness on EFL Students' Reading Performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliye Mohammad Jafari ◽  
Neda Fatehi Rad
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Reading Vocabulary ◽  
Grammatical Awareness ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of the present research was to assess the influence of phonological and grammatical awareness on reading performance of EFL students at Azad Islamic University of Kerman. Based on such a purpose, a series of linguistic tasks were applied in order to find the relationship between phonological and grammatical awareness and reading performance. 50 EFL students participated in the present study through a qualitative and quantitative survey. Phonological awareness was measured by four tasks while grammatical awareness was measured by two tasks. A semi-structured interview was conducted among EFL students and their in order to obtain their feedback regarding the tests and the role of phonological and grammatical awareness in their reading performance. In addition, in order to measure reading performance, a two stage reading task (reading vocabulary and reading short sentences) was used. The results of the present study revealed that phonological and grammatical awareness had a significant role in reading performance of EFL students of the participants.

Choosing a Markov blanket

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Parr
Keyword(s):  
Markov Blanket ◽  
Target Article ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This commentary focuses upon the relationship between two themes in the target article: the ways in which a Markov blanket may be defined and the role of precision and salience in mediating the interactions between what is internal and external to a system. These each rest upon the different perspectives we might take while “choosing” a Markov blanket.

Exploring the Potential Impact of Sentence-Level Comprehension and Sentence-Level Fluency on Deaf Students' Passage Comprehension

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 2281-2292
Author(s):  
Ying Zhao ◽  
Xinchun Wu ◽  
Hongjun Chen ◽  
Peng Sun ◽  
Ruibo Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Independent Predictor ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This exploratory study aimed to investigate the potential impact of sentence-level comprehension and sentence-level fluency on passage comprehension of deaf students in elementary school. Method A total of 159 deaf students, 65 students ( M age = 13.46 years) in Grades 3 and 4 and 94 students ( M age = 14.95 years) in Grades 5 and 6, were assessed for nonverbal intelligence, vocabulary knowledge, sentence-level comprehension, sentence-level fluency, and passage comprehension. Group differences were examined using t tests, whereas the predictive and mediating mechanisms were examined using regression modeling. Results The regression analyses showed that the effect of sentence-level comprehension on passage comprehension was not significant, whereas sentence-level fluency was an independent predictor in Grades 3–4. Sentence-level comprehension and fluency contributed significant variance to passage comprehension in Grades 5–6. Sentence-level fluency fully mediated the influence of sentence-level comprehension on passage comprehension in Grades 3–4, playing a partial mediating role in Grades 5–6. Conclusions The relative contributions of sentence-level comprehension and fluency to deaf students' passage comprehension varied, and sentence-level fluency mediated the relationship between sentence-level comprehension and passage comprehension.

Staring Down Death

Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Joiner ◽  
Melanie A. Hom ◽  
Megan L. Rogers ◽  
Carol Chu ◽  
Ian H. Stanley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Specific Task ◽  
Careful Planning ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Eye Blinks ◽  
Potential Clinical Utility ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Background: Lowered eye blink rate may be a clinically useful indicator of acute, imminent, and severe suicide risk. Diminished eye blink rates are often seen among individuals engaged in heightened concentration on a specific task that requires careful planning and attention. Indeed, overcoming one’s biological instinct for survival through suicide necessitates premeditation and concentration; thus, a diminished eye blink rate may signal imminent suicidality. Aims: This article aims to spur research and clinical inquiry into the role of eye blinks as an indicator of acute suicide risk. Method: Literature relevant to the potential connection between eye blink rate and suicidality was reviewed and synthesized. Results: Anecdotal, cognitive, neurological, and conceptual support for the relationship between decreased blink rate and suicide risk is outlined. Conclusion: Given that eye blinks are a highly observable behavior, the potential clinical utility of using eye blink rate as a marker of suicide risk is immense. Research is warranted to explore the association between eye blink rate and acute suicide risk.

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