Speaking in the Target Language: Issues and Considerations

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 886
Author(s):  
Sami Al-wossabi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
English Language ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Developmental Processes ◽  
The World ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Voice

As English is the most widely used language in the world in various areas such as technology, science, and business, many Arab countries including Saudi Arabia have shifted into more focus on communicative English language instructions. However, there is still a persistent gap between what is intended to be taught and what is expected to be produced by EFL students. The purpose of the present study is, therefore, to highlight the factors that contribute to Saudi EFL students' reluctance to speaking meaningfully and purposefully in the target language. A survey is conducted to find out Saudi EFL students' communicative proficiency at Jazan University. Instructed interviews are also carried out to include the voice of teachers on what hampers their students from producing oral output. The results showed that Saudi EFL students are encountering many challenges that hinder their developmental processes of speaking. Based on the research findings some recommendations were made for both teachers and students.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Teachers’ Questions in English Language Classroom: A Case Study in Year 10 of SMK N 1 Nunukan

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eka Pratiwi ◽  
Yuyun Yulia
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Knowledge Level ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Tenth Grade ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
English Language Teachers

In English language classroom, teachers’ questions are important parts of teaching English language. Teachers need to know what kind of questions which potentially support students learning target language.  However, students did not actively participate in learning particularly when responding teachers’ questions. To overcome this problem, it is important for teachers to modify their question through some techniques in order to get students’ responses. This study reports the types of teachers’ questions used by English teachers in classroom, and the classification of modification questions used by teachers during teaching English language in class.This research belongs to classroom discourse analysis. The research was conducted at tenth grade of SMKN 1 Nunukan. The data were collected through observation, video recording, and interview. The teachers’ questions were analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s (1995) model of qualitative data analysis.The research findings show that both teachers pose more questions of knowledge level than other levels, and the teachers used various techniques to modify their questions when the students did not give response. The modification of modifying questions are repeating and rephrasing. Then sometimes teachers negotiated questions by in Bahasa Indonesia or first language (local language). The domination of knowledge level questions and how teachers modified the questions is influenced by teachers’ competence, students’ competence, situation of teaching English language, and teaching material.

Creative Cities and Knowledge Capital

2018 ◽  
pp. 159-184
Author(s):  
Aly Abdel Razek Galaby
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Knowledge Capital ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Creative Cities ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Creative City ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
The World ◽  
Research Findings

Many nations of the world are responding to the shift from development policies that rely on intensified labor and capital into alternative policies that build on the intensification of knowledge. The trend towards knowledge-based development has received increasing attention from academics and policy makers in the world. Innovative development paradigms of existing urban models (cities of knowledge, creative cities, and local circles of the knowledge society [precincts]) have opened up alternative prospects for development to the nations of the world. The Emirate of Dubai was among the Arab countries that absorbed this lesson and took the initiative of transforming its economy into a knowledge economy, building their development policies on the intensification of knowledge, embarked on the creation of the creative city and the formation of a knowledge capital, and stopping to understand this experience and explain its constraints; perhaps the research findings would support this effort.

Using Lean Method in English Language Classes

2020 ◽  
pp. 131-144
Author(s):  
Araigul Kozhakhmetova ◽  
Lyazzat Beisenbayeva
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Management System ◽  
English Language ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Educational Organizations ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
The World ◽  
Teachers And Students

New approaches, methods, and tools are necessary for the implementation of the modern management system in educational organizations. The main purpose of this chapter is to determine using the lean method in foreign language teaching. The lean method is new in educational systems, but it is used in different spheres of industries all over the world. This chapter shows the history, its implementation, experiments, and how it can be used and developed further. Lean in education will create a clear understanding of its importance on lean process and increase the motivations of administrations, teachers, and students.

scholarly journals Bring a Foreign Language and Its Cultures to Saudi EFL University-Level Classrooms

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Ali Ayed S. Alshahrani
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
English Language ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Actual Learning ◽  
English Program

This study aims to investigate the effects Twitter has as a social networking platform on the development of Saudi EFL psychological variables (attitude, confidence, motivation, interest in L2 culture, social interaction and engagement), actual learning outcomes and the relationship between these psychological variables and their results. Twitter provides a valued accessible window to the target culture and promotes cross-cultural competence and comprehension that is focused on meaning rather than form, as well as repeated exposure to L2 cultural products, practices, perspectives and the target language. A sample of 39 students enrolled in an English course during the second semester of the 2014-2015 academic year, as well as two non-native English speakers (NNSs) working at the English Program, agreed to participate in the study. It adopts a combined inductive-deductive research approach to fulfil the research purpose and answer the research questions. The findings of this study underscore the latent use of the Twitter microblogging platform in EFL classes, as well as revealing the positive impact upon Saudi EFL students’ social interaction (engagement), enthusiasm and interest in learning more about L2 culture in English language classes.

Improving Online Readability in a Web 2.0 Context

2009 ◽  
pp. 385-410
Author(s):  
John Paul Loucky
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Online Reading ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Pedagogical Innovations ◽  
User Friendly

This study describes a task-based assessment (TBA) approach to teaching reading and writing online. It then analyzes key factors emerging from the results of implementing this approach with graduate engineering students in Japan. It is argued that these factors should be considered when designing or assessing any online reading or writing course for ESL/EFL students. The findings of this study are especially relevant to task-based approaches and technical or pedagogical innovations which can help foster more effective and enjoyable learning for teachers and students in blended learning environments. It is hoped that this discussion can serve as a model of what can be done to enhance online EAP/ESP/ETP courses, as well as any other online reading or writing course being designed for speakers and readers of languages other than English. The goal in this chapter is to summarize research aimed at integrating some of the most useful Web sites for English language learning into a user-friendly system for optimal online vocabulary development — which could be self-monitored by students as well as tracked by teachers via a course management system.

scholarly journals Students’ Preferences and Attitude toward Oral Error Correction Techniques at Yanbu University College, Saudi Arabia

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Bushra Alamri ◽  
Hala Hassan Fawzi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Error Correction ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Observation ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
University College ◽  
Teachers And Students

<p>Error correction has been one of the core areas in the field of English language teaching. It is “seen as a form of feedback given to learners on their language use” (Amara, 2015). Many studies investigated the use of different techniques to correct students’ oral errors. However, only a few focused on students’ preferences and attitude toward oral error correction techniques, which determine students’ success in language learning. This quantitative research explored teachers’ and students’ preferences as well as students’ attitude toward the use of oral error correction techniques in the language classroom. The participants of the study were English language students and English language teachers at Yanbu University College (YUC) in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. A classroom observation checklist and questionnaires were used to collect the data. The study findings revealed that recast and explicit correction are the preferred techniques by the majority of the students and teachers. The findings also indicated that students have positive attitude toward oral error correction. As the classroom observation revealed that recast was highly used by teachers, it is recommended that teachers should also use other techniques to correct students’ oral errors. In addition, it is recommended that before correcting students’ oral errors teachers should always take into account the purpose of the activity and the proficiency level of students.</p>

scholarly journals Telegram App in Learning English: EFL Students’ Perceptions

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Zahra A. Abu-Ayfah
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Mobile Device ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Device Applications ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Efl College Students

The rapid growth of mobile device technology and the emergence of new mobile device applications such as Telegram have created new opportunities for EFL students. Accordingly, the current study investigated the EFL College students&rsquo; perceptions of using Telegram for English language learning. The participants of the present study were 300 EFL college students, 200 female and 100 male were selected randomly from the department of English and Translation at Tibah University in AL-Medina AL-Manwarah in Saudi Arabia. This study followed a quantitative approach in which a survey questionnaire was utilized as an instrument for data collection. The results revealed that the majority of EFL students perceived Telegram as a useful tool for English language learning, particularly in vocabulary learning. The findings of the present study may contribute to developing the process of improving learning techniques in higher education in Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals PROVISION OF ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION: TRENDS AND ISSUES

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
OLGA KVASOVA ◽  
CAROLYN WESTBROOK ◽  
KEVIN WESTBROOK
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
British Council ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
The World ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
English Medium Instruction

The article addresses the current trends of teaching subjects through the medium of English which has been boosting in the world and in Ukraine. Introduced due to globalization processes, teaching in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has become an essential part of internationalization policies of universities. The increase in numbers of international students is viewed as an indication of quality of education provided by universities; it contributes to universities’ higher ratings and competitiveness. The introduction of EMI has been sustainably promoted by the British Council. Nonetheless, EMI providers across the world keep encountering similar issues and challenges. Amongst those, the most essential is low English language proficiency of non-native English speakers – both teachers and students. The article aims to examine the training provided to Ukrainian teachers who deliver EMI courses. The authors surveyed 28 EMI teachers in two universities in the country. The results imply the necessity to reprofile linguistic and pedagogical courses for EMI teachers, including training them in implementing innovative and interactive teaching techniques. The prospects of further research arouse from the need to develop a quality system of assessing students’ learning outcomes.

scholarly journals The Effect of Local Arabic Dialects on Learning English Language Pronunciation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleed Abd Elwahab
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
Linguistic Differences ◽  
The World ◽  
Verbal Behaviors ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
English Language Fluency

Due to the variety of their local dialects and accents, Arab learners occasionally face some problems when pronouncing English letters and phonemes. These pronunciation errors are caused by the influence of native language interference. Each language in any part of the world has its linguistic characteristics and rules that control their pronunciation and even word-formation process, which distinguishes them from those of other nations. Modern linguists described this phenomenon as verbal behaviors because, by the end of a special stage of a child’s growth, it becomes as constant customs. As a consequence, generations inherit these verbal qualities from their ancient without having any choices to make a linguistic formation in particular. As they work to develop their English language fluency, Arabic ESL students, for instance, face several pronunciation difficulties such as adding or replacing new phonemes that do not exist in the target language. The linguistic differences between Arabic and English usually have a crucial impact on how simply a learner can study to form the English letter sounds.

scholarly journals Portfolio-Based Assessment in English Language Learning: Highlighting the Students’ Perceptions

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Ahmad Syamsul Ma'arif ◽  
Fuad Abdullah ◽  
Asri Siti Fatimah ◽  
Arini Nurul Hidayati
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Learning Attitudes ◽  
Process Outcomes ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Efl Students

Portfolio-based Assessment (hereafter, PBA) plays an indispensable role in language assessment. PBA represents the development of the students’ learning process outcomes, trains autonomous learning, and stimulates metacognitive awareness. Conversely, a few investigative attempts, addressed the students’ perceptions of PBA in the Indonesian EFL Context. Therefore, this study aimed to decipher the perceptions of EFL students in Indonesia on PBA use in the English subject. Empirically speaking, two female students were involved as the participants in this study. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview and analyzed with Thematic Analysis (TA) (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The findings revealed that students articulated their perceptions in three major themes, namely developing self-monitoring from the students’ learning processes, generating discipline, responsible and autonomous language learning attitudes, and mitigating perceptual mismatches among teachers and students. Pedagogically speaking, this study indicates that PBA employment can provide opportunities for students to monitor their learning progress, and enhance their self-confidence and learning motivation.

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