scholarly journals The Impact of Different Output-based Task Repetition Conditions on Producing Speech Acts among Iranian Advanced EFL Learners

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parisa Etemadfar ◽  
Ehsan Namaziandost ◽  
Reza Banari
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Task Repetition ◽  
Data Input ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Awareness Raising ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
The Impact

This examination inspected the effects of different output-based task reiteration conditions with respect to producing EFL students' speech acts. Three groups were incorporated into this investigation: (1) the explicit task-repetition (ETR) group, (2) the implicit task-repetition (ITR) group, and (3) the no-input task repetition (NTR) group. All the three groups occupied with the reiteration of output generation tasks. However, before the second execution of the task, the ETR, ITR, NTR groups received input combined with metapragmatic data, input combined with an awareness raising task, and no information separately. The outcomes demonstrated students' exhibition was factually huge from the pretest to the posttest in the ETR and ITR groups, however not in the NTR group. Besides, the analysis of contrasts over the groups in the posttest uncovered the predominance of the ETR over the ITR and NTR groups. The discoveries suggest that output-based task repetition with input can advance EFL students' speech act production.

scholarly journals The Impact of Raising Awareness of the Speech Act On Speaking Ability across Gender and Proficiency Level

HOW ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-111
Author(s):  
Kobra Ghayebi ◽  
Parisa Farrokh
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Traditional Teaching ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Awareness Raising ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Impact

The present study intended to investigate the possible effects of speech acts strategies on Iranian beginner and intermediate EFL learners’ speaking ability. The first step in conducting this research was the administration of QPT as the homogenizing tool. It was administered to 180 beginners and intermediate EFL learners. After analyzing the results, 80 males and females as starters and 80 males and females as intermediate subjects were chosen. Then, the beginner and intermediate EFL learners were randomly divided into control and experimental groups (including 40 beginner male and 40 female EFL learners in each class). Next, a pretest of speaking was administered to all the participants and the experimental groups received speech act role play as treatment. However, the researcher did not use any treatment of speech acts in control groups. After ten sessions, the posttest was administered to all participants. The findings suggested that awareness raising on speech acts resulted in a better speaking ability as compared to the simply traditional teaching of speaking for Iranian intermediate and beginner EFL learners. Additionally, intermediate EFL learners’ achievement in speaking was not in line with the beginner EFL learners’ achievement in the corresponding group. Finally, it was found that gender does not interact with awareness raising on speech acts in such a way as to produce a statistically significant effect on the beginner and intermediate EFL learners’ speaking ability.

The impact of pragmatic consciousness-raising tasks on EFL learners’ speech act strategy use

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasoul Mohammad Hosseinpur ◽  
Reza Bagheri Nevisi
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Consciousness Raising ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Although there are growing attempts to equip learners with strategies in the ESL/EFL classroom, there has not been much effort to implement strategies to assist learners in the learning of speech acts (e.g., Cohen & Ishihara, 2005). This study investigated the impact and effectiveness of instruction on EFL learners’ use of speech act strategies. A group of 131 Iranian undergraduate students were instructed through deductive consciousness-raising (C-R), inductive C-R, and L1-based C-R tasks for seven weeks. The results obtained through Cohen and Ishihara’s (2005) speech act strategy inventory indicated that instruction had a significant impact on participants’ utilization of speech act strategies. It also came to light that the learners were generally receptive to deductive and L1-based pragmatic C-R tasks. The findings suggest that pragmatic C-R tasks and especially L1-based tasks are effective means for applying strategies to supporting learners in the acquisition of speech acts.

scholarly journals From Instructed Writing to Free-Writing: A Study of EFL Learners

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402110071
Author(s):  
Saleh Alharthi
Keyword(s):  
Control Group ◽  
Writing Program ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Free Writing ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Structured Writing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

Writing is an intricate process that encompasses various factors and is a key skill for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Thus, writing assignments are vital for any curriculum. One of the essential aspects of effective writing includes good grammar knowledge. Advocates of process writing argue that a free-writing journal is a practical approach to teaching EFL students writing. This study is intended to examine the impact of the free-writing journal on EFL learners. This study was conducted on 80 students from a writing course at the University. Thirty-five students were randomly selected to join the free-writing program—the experimental group—and 45 students were kept in their regular structured writing program—the control group. The experimental group selected topics of interest to them and was encouraged to write in English freely without concern for errors, whereas the control group followed a regular structured writing program where the topics were selected for them and they wrote following a clear guideline. Five major areas were investigated to evaluate students’ progress: the number of words written, spelling, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 students of the experimental group to elicit their perception of the free-writing program. According to the analysis, students in the free-writing program acquired better grammar acquisition than the control group. The researcher also observed students’ perception of free-writing at the end of the study and found that free-writing improved their writing skills.

Captions and reduced forms instruction: The impact on EFL students’ listening comprehension

ReCALL ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chi Yang ◽  
Peichin Chang
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Limited Capacity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reduced Forms

AbstractFor many EFL learners, listening poses a grave challenge. The difficulty in segmenting a stream of speech and limited capacity in short-term memory are common weaknesses for language learners. Specifically, reduced forms, which frequently appear in authentic informal conversations, compound the challenges in listening comprehension. Numerous interventions have been implemented to assist EFL language learners, and of these, the application of captions has been found highly effective in promoting learning. Few studies have examined how different modes of captions may enhance listening comprehension. This study proposes three modes of captions: full, keyword-only, and annotated keyword captions and investigates their contribution to the learning of reduced forms and overall listening comprehension. Forty-four EFL university students participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. The results revealed that all three groups exhibited improvement on the pre-test while the annotated keyword caption group exhibited the best performance with the highest mean score. Comparing performances between groups, the annotated keyword caption group also emulated both the full caption and the keyword-only caption groups, particularly in the ability to recognize reduced forms. The study sheds light on the potential of annotated keyword captions in enhancing reduced forms learning and overall listening comprehension.

scholarly journals Cross-Sectional Study of Refusal Speech Act Used by Iraqi Undergraduate Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-173
Author(s):  
Hutheifa Y. Turki ◽  
Juma’a Q. Hussein ◽  
Ahmed A. Al-Kubaisy
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
Refusal Strategies

This paper is conducted to investigate how Iraqi EFL learners refuse different speech acts across different proficiency levels. It aims to examine the most appropriate strategies used by 2nd year students of English as compared to those of 4th year when refusing their interlocutors' invitation, suggestion, and offer. WDCT questionnaire was used to collect data from 40 Iraqi undergraduate students of English: 20 2nd year and 20 4th year. Adopting Beebe et al.'s (1990) theory of refusal, data collected was analyzed quantitatively using statistical analysis. The findings revealed that the 2nd year students of English were more frequent in using direct refusals than their 4th year counterparts. This means the latter were more aware of using refusals politely than the former. On the other hand, the findings showed that 4th year students more frequent in their use of indirect refusal strategies that the 2nd year students. This indicates that the EFL learners of low proficiency level might not bridge the gap between the pragmalinguistic strategies and the grammatical form of the target language. This means that they were not pragmatically competent of the use of the appropriate pragmalinguistic strategies. This implies that the 2nd year students need to pay more attention to pragmatics and use their refusal strategies appropriately. Thus, the paper recommends conducting further research on the use of refusal speech act in Arabic and English.

The impact of self-perception on Iranian EFL learners' oral communication

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Ali Soltani ◽  
Mohsen Ghafari
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Self Perception ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the probable relationship between Iranian EFL learners' self-perception and assertiveness and their oral communication skills. A sample of 80 male and female Iranian EFL students participated in this study. The participants were initially required to complete Belbin's self-perception questionnaire, they were then asked to complete Oral Communication Strategies Inventory (OCSI). The results of the data analysis indicated that there was a strong positive correlation between the two variables and thus the higher the level of self-perception and assertiveness, the higher the level of communication will be. Keywords: Communication Strategies, Self-perception, Assertiveness.

scholarly journals Formal and Informal Russian Invitation: Context and Politeness Strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 994-1013
Author(s):  
Gayane Rubenovna Vlasyan ◽  
Irina Vladimirovna Kozhukhova
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Politeness Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Politeness Strategies ◽  
The Impact

Invitation is a speech act which is perceived differently across cultures. Understanding the pragmatics of invitation requires knowledge of the notion of politeness and politeness strategies which comprise culture specific elements. Politeness is realized in various discourses, social contexts and speech acts. The purpose of the study is to identify politeness strategies in Russian invitation in formal and informal contexts in three age groups and see how they correspond to the understanding of politeness in Russian communicative culture. The empirical data for the study were obtained through discourse completion tests with 101 participants (issuers of the invitation) of different age and social status as well as through ethnographic observation. The research is based on Discourse Analysis and Politeness Theory (Brown & Levinson 1987; Larina2009, 2015; Locher 2006, 2013; Leech 2014; Mills 2003, 2017; Sifianou 1992; Terkourafi &Kadar 2017; Watts 2003, among others). We used discourse analysis to analyze the impact of the social and cultural context on the performance of invitation, the descriptive method which was used to analyze the pragmatic functions of invitation, as well as contextual interpretation of this speech act and the method of quantitative data processing. The study revealed some differences between a formal and informal invitation concerning politeness strategies and linguistic means of its expression. It also showed that in Russian culture issuing an invitation is not perceived as a face threatening speech act; in the analysed social contexts the preference is given to direct invitation, and the inviter’s imposition, as a rule, is perceived positively. The results contribute to a better understanding of Russian politeness and communicative style and can be implemented in intercultural pragmatics, intercultural communication and SL teaching.

scholarly journals Effects of Task Repetition and EFL Proficiency on English Speech Act Production

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Hossein Ahmadi* ◽  
Farid Ghaemi
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Potential Interaction ◽  
Instructional Condition ◽  
Task Repetition ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
English Major ◽  
High Level

Interlanguage pragmatics (ILP) studies substantiate the teachability of some aspects of second language (L2) pragmatics. However, there are controversies over the most effective instructional methods. Therefore, following a comparison group design, the present study aims to investigate the relative efficacy of two conditions of output-production task repetition on high- and low-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ production of speech acts. The main effects of the instructional conditions, EFL proficiency level, and the potential interaction between them are examined. Two classes of English-major students take speech act lessons involving output-generation task repetition as follows: (1) the implicit task-repetition (ITR) group is provided with visually enhanced input plus a consciousness raising task before repeating the output-generation tasks, and (2) the explicit task-repetition (ETR) group is provided with input plus metapragmatic information before repeating the output-generation tasks. The learners’ speech act production is assessed through a written discourse completion test (WDCT) across a pretest and a posttest. The results demonstrate significant gains for both groups from the pretest to the posttest. Moreover, the ETR group significantly outperforms the ITR group in the posttest. Furthermore, EFL proficiency level is found to have a significant effect on learners’ speech act production, with high-level learners outperforming low-level learners. The results reveal no significant interaction between the effects of instructional condition and EFL proficiency level. Regarding pedagogical implications, the findings attest the efficacy of output-generation task repetition in L2 speech acts instruction, particularly when task repetition is coupled with explicit instruction.

scholarly journals Students’ Perspectives toward Virtual Classes Effectiveness on EFL Learners’ Communication Skills at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luluh Abdullah Alkathiri ◽  
Alanoud Abdulaziz Alkulaib ◽  
Bashaer Saleh Batays ◽  
Khulud Mohammed Awdah ◽  
Norah Rashed Bin Muwayni
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Virtual Education ◽  
Virtual Classrooms ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Virtual Classes ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Science Classes ◽  
The Impact

The study explores students’ perspectives towards virtual classes and the impact of such classes on EFL learners’ communication skills. Such study is valuable due to the lack of research works that investigate EFL students’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of such classes. Also, the findings can substantially improve the Saudi virtual education. Regarding the questions of the study, it answers two main questions: What are EFL learners’ attitudes towards virtual classes? What is the impact of virtual classes on EFL learners’ communication skills from students’ perspectives? To achieve the objectives of this study, a questionnaire was administered to 50 EFL students of levels seven and eight in English Department at the College of Sciences and Humanities at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. The findings indicated that students had positive attitudes toward virtual classrooms. Such classes could enhance their communication, and improve their technical and self-learning skills. Based on these results, some recommendations were suggested that could be taken into consideration in future studies. First, further studies should be done to investigate the impact of virtual classes on other science classes such as Chemistry and Medicine in the COVID- 19 period. Second, such study should be conducted with a different sample of students (male). Finally, the same research can be applied to faculty members to explore their attitudes toward virtual education and its effect on communication skills.

scholarly journals Investigation the Effect of Colloconstructural Corpus-based Instruction on Pragmalinquistic Knowledge of Request Speech Act: Evidence from Iranian EFL Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Batoul Sabzalipour ◽  
Mansour Koosha ◽  
Akbar Afghari
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mazandaran Province ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
On Line ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Methods Of Learning ◽  
Experimental Group

The current study investigated the effect of using colloconstructional corpus-based instruction on enhancing the pragmalinguistic knowledge of speech acts of request among intermediate EFL learners. The fundamental idea was that whether providing students with on-line corpora through using colloconstruction had any effects on enhancing their pragmalinguistic knowledge of request speech act. In such doing, 60 intermediate-level subjects from several institutions in Mazandaran province, in Iran, participated in the study. Then, the subjects took a standard Oxford Placement Test (OPT) to demonstrate their English proficiency. Based on the obtained scores, they were randomly administered as two equal groups (N=30). A WDCT pre- test was conducted in each group to examine their ability and knowledge in using speech acts of request.  After 15 sessions of treatment, a WDCT posttest was conducted. The experimental group received corpus-based instruction through colloconstructional practices. In contrast, the control group only practiced learning the same speech act through traditional and old methods of learning speech acts like textbooks, audios and videos. The data were analyzed using paired and independent sample t- test. To boost the results validity, the researcher used observation and interview, too. The results revealed that speech act learning was enhanced by corpus-based instruction. Some theoretical and pedagogical implications of the study were then presented. 

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