Spoken Corpora of EFL Learners: Collocations, Vocabulary Use, and their Oral Proficiency Levels

Abstract This study examined n-gram use in oral production by Chinese college-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners at four distinct proficiency levels. Thirty indices regarding range, frequency, and association strength of bi- and tri-grams obtained from retelling and monologic samples were analyzed. Results suggest that, i) the four proficiency levels differed in measures for frequency and association strength of bi- and tri-grams, ii) academic bi- and tri-gram proportions and association strength (captured by MI- and t-scores) were predictive of EFL speaking proficiency for both the retelling and monologic samples but the effects were small, and iii) EFL learners used more well-attested bi- and tri-grams in monologues than in retelling, demonstrating that higher rated samples tended to contain more strongly-associated bi- and tri-grams, a greater proportion of frequent attested academic tri-grams, and that EFL n-gram use was task-sensitive. These findings help enrich our understanding on EFL development of multi-word sequences and have potentially useful implications for EFL pedagogy.

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Investigating the Differential Effects of Formative and Summative Assessment on EFL Learners’ End-of-term Achievement

Journal of Language Teaching and Research ◽

10.17507/jltr.1005.19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 1055

Author(s):

Amir Mahshanian ◽

Reihane Shoghi ◽

Mohammad Bahrami

Keyword(s):

Formative Assessment ◽

Summative Assessment ◽

Achievement Test ◽

T Test ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Differential Effects ◽

Proficiency Levels ◽

Summative Assessments ◽

Different Types ◽

General Test

In this study, an attempt has been made to highlight the importance of summative assessment in conjunction with teacher-based (formative) assessment on the learning. 107 advanced EFL learners in 3 classes were selected and grouped based on the type of assessment they received. Participants in this study were given tests for two main reasons. First, a general test of proficiency was administered in order to place the learners in different proficiency levels. Second, in an attempt to compare learners’ improvement based on different types of assessment within a 4-month learning period, an achievement test of the course was given two times, as pre and post-tests. The data obtained through learners’ scores on achievement tests were analyzed and then compared using ANOVA, ANCOVA and t-test. In light of the results of this study, it can be argued that a combination of formative and summative assessments can lead to higher achievements of EFL learners than either formative or summative assessment separately.

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Effects of Bilingualism on Reading Fluency: An Analysis of Pausing Patterns of Iranian Learners of English as a Third Language

Education Research International ◽

10.1155/2021/9200025 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Zahra Banitalebi ◽

Ali Akbar Jabbari ◽

Shouket Ahmad Tilwani ◽

Mohammad Hasan Razmi

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Reading Fluency ◽

English Language ◽

Oral Proficiency ◽

Bilingual Learners ◽

Male And Female ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Third Language ◽

English Reading ◽

Significant Difference

Fluency is one of the most important components of oral proficiency, which can be affected by a number of variables including frequency, duration, and place of pause phenomena. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of bilingualism on learning a foreign language from the angle of fluency and pausing patterns by comparing the pausing patterns of monolingual (Persian speakers) and bilingual (Iranian Turkish speakers; L1: Turkish and L2: Persian) EFL learners. To this end, a sample of 40 male and female advanced EFL learners were selected from Yazd University and several English-language institutes. An English reading passage test was used to measure students’ fluency in terms of their pausing patterns in prepared mode of speech. As learners started to read the passage, their speeches were recorded. The collected data were analyzed by Praat software. The statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between monolingual and bilingual learners in the frequency, duration, and placement of the pauses they had produced while they were reading the English passage. The results showed that bilingual learners outperformed monolingual participants, suggesting the superiority of bilinguals in their pausing patterns. The implications are discussed.

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Implicit/explicit knowledge and its contribution towards tense consistency employment across EFL learners’ proficiency levels

Cogent Education ◽

10.1080/2331186x.2020.1727129 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 1727129

Author(s):

Amir Reza Asiyaban ◽

Mortaza Yamini ◽

Mohammad-Sadegh Bagheri ◽

Lotfollah Yarmohammadi

Keyword(s):

Explicit Knowledge ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Proficiency Levels

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The interplay of oral corrective feedback and L2 willingness to communicate across proficiency levels

Language Teaching Research ◽

10.1177/1362168820928967 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 136216882092896

Author(s):

Mostafa Zare ◽

Zohreh Gooniband Shooshtari ◽

Alireza Jalilifar

Keyword(s):

Corrective Feedback ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Willingness To Communicate ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Feedback Type ◽

Proficiency Levels ◽

Proficiency Level ◽

High Preference ◽

Oral Corrective Feedback ◽

The Impact

This study aims to explore the impact of oral corrective feedback types on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ willingness to communicate across proficiency levels. It also investigates how EFL learners view different types of feedback in relation to their willingness to communicate. Sixty Iranian EFL learners were tracked in four proficiency levels. Initially, the participants filled in a questionnaire to measure their attitudes to oral CF and their willingness to communicate. Subsequent to the teachers’ employment of explicit correction, recasts, and prompts, the learners’ willingness to communicate was measured anew. A semi-structured interview was also conducted. The results revealed learners’ high preference for prompts. A two-way mixed between-within ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect for both oral corrective feedback and proficiency level on willingness to communicate. Furthermore, elicitative types of feedback were ranked as the most contributory feedback type to L2 willingness to communicate.

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