scholarly journals Learners’ Collocation Use in Writing: Do Proficiency Levels Matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Hazwani Munirah Lateh ◽  
Sarimah Shamsudin ◽  
Abdul Halim Abdul Raof ◽  
Najihah Mahmud ◽  
Amaal Fadhlini Mohamed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public University ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Lexical Collocations ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Writing Task

Knowledge of collocation is important in enabling learners to use a language fluently. When learners can demonstrate a good command of collocation use as they write, this results in greater fluency and proficiency. The present study is a case study that investigated the collocational knowledge of ESL learners across different proficiency levels. Specifically, the extent to which the learners produce lexical collocation in writing is examined in the study. To this end, a writing task (an essay) was administered to elicit the written output of the learners. The procedure involved a total of n=120 undergraduate ESL learners (limited, modest, and proficient learners) studying at a public university in Malaysia. The essays collected in the study were analysed and compared in terms of the lexical collocation frequencies and categories. The results first revealed that the higher proficient students wrote slightly higher lexical collocations than their counterparts. The second finding, however, indicated that there is no significant difference in the proportion of lexical collocation (.05) written by the students, regardless of their proficiency levels. Thirdly, the results demonstrated that students of higher proficiency levels were able to write their essays with slightly more lexical collocation categories in comparison to lower proficiency level learners. Nonetheless, the students did not tap into all six lexical collocation categories in their writing. The findings of the study provide insights into the lexical collocation knowledge of Malaysian ESL undergraduates across various proficiency levels.

scholarly journals THE VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES USED BY UUM STUDENTS IN RELATION TO THEIR PROFICIENCY LEVELS

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Noraziah Mohd Amin
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Vocabulary Learning Strategies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Universiti Utara Malaysia

AbstrakTulisan ini berfokus pada strategi pembelajaran kosakata yang digunakan oleh Band 1 dan Band 4 mahasiswa sarjana Universitas Utara Malaysia (UUM). Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mensurvei penggunaan strategi pembelajaran kosakata yang digunakan oleh responden dan untuk menentukan sejauh mana penggunaan strategi dipengaruhi oleh tingkat kemampuan mereka. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kuesioner yang dikembangkan oleh Lachini (2007) berdasarkan klasifikasi Cottrell tentang strategi pembelajaran yang terdiri dari lima kategori strategi belajar kosakata: kreatif, reflektif, efektif, aktif dan motivasi. Respon dari 100 responden dari masing masing kelompok, Band 1 dan Band 4, hasil kuesioner diperiksa pada frekuensi penggunaan strategi pembelajaran kosakata. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada perbedaan yang signifikan dalam hal frekuensi penggunaan antara Band 1 dan Band 4 peserta sebagai mayoritas kedua kelompok digunakan sebagian besar strategi baik 'sedikit' atau 'sering'. Temuan penelitian mungkin bisa membantu instruktur untuk memfasilitasi pembelajaran kosakata bahasa Inggris oleh mahasiswa UUM dan mahasiswa lain pada umumnya.                        Kata-kata kunci: Strategi pembelajaran kosakata, tingkatan kemampuan berbahasaAbstract This thesis is concerned with the vocabulary learning strategies used by Band 1 and Band 4 undergraduate students of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM).  The objectives of this descriptive study were to survey the vocabulary learning strategies used by the respondents and to determine to what extent their use of the strategies was influenced by their proficiency level. The instrument employed in the study was a questionnaire developed by Lachini (2007) based on Cottrell’s classification of learning strategies. It consists of five categories of vocabulary learning strategies: creative, reflective, effective, active and motivated. The responses of 100 Band 1 and 100 Band 4 students to the questionnaire were examined on the frequency of their use of the vocabulary learning strategies. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in terms of the frequency of use between Band 1 and Band 4 participants as  the majority of both groups employed most of the strategies either ‘a little’ or ‘often’. The findings of the study perhaps could help instructors to facilitate the learning of English vocabulary by UUM students and other students at large.    Keywords: The vocabulary learning strategies, proficiency levels

scholarly journals Is Self-efficacy Correlated with English Proficiency Levels? —A Case Study of Taiwanese Arts Students

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-chen Tseng
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Great Confidence ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Learning And Achievement

<p><em>The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between arts students’ English proficiency level and their self-efficacy. Many studies have proved that self-efficacy is a significant predictor of learning and achievement (Multon, Brown, &amp; Lent, 1991; Pajares, 1996, 1997; Schunk &amp; Pajares, 2005). Does this apply to arts students? Arts students spend most of their time practicing skills related to their professions. They have great confidence with what they were doing in their own fields, but they have to sacrifice the time that could be spent studying English. Therefore, are arts students’ self-efficacy correlated with their English proficiency levels? A total of sixty-eight students participated in this study. They were equally divided into two groups: High Proficiency Learners (HPL) and Low Proficiency Learners (LPL). The results show that there was no significant correlation between students’ English proficiency levels and their self-efficacy levels. The results did not support Bandura’s theory. However, the findings did indicate that although arts students’ English proficiency levels were poor, especially for students in the LPL group, they did believe that they had the ability to achieve a certain task. They did well in their professions but not in English. Further studies and more qualitative and quantitative data on arts students are needed.</em></p>

scholarly journals Corrective Feedback for Learners of Varied Proficiency Levels: A Teacher’s Choices

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Teacher Feedback ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Learner Uptake ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Classroom Data

This study investigates how one English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teacher provided corrective feedback to 15 child ESL learners that the teacher had divided into two groups based on proficiency level. Classroom data in transcripts from the CHILDES database were analyzed for type of learner errors, type of teacher feedback, and rate of learner uptake (attempts at correction) and repair (correction). Results showed differences in the types of errors produced by each proficiency group and in the type of feedback the teacher provided to each proficiency group, demonstrating provision of finely tuned corrective feedback based on learners’ individual differences.

scholarly journals STABILIZED ERRORS: ATTRIBUTED PROBLEM IN TIMED AND NON-TIMED ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohmani Nur Indah
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
First Language ◽  
Word Choice ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Verb Tense ◽  
Writing Task ◽  
Made In

This study is a case study seeking the relation between the errors students made in timed and non-timed argumentative writing. The use of good English language influences whether or not the students can develop their claim. The finding shows that students have fifteen types of stabilized errors, the dominant of which are verb tense, word choice and spelling. On language form, the stabilized errors mostly occur are omission and addition. Some students also show stabilized errors with reference to the negative transfer of their first language. In addition, the type of writing task results in different number of stabilized errors. Despite the favor on non-timed writing, some students show more careful language use without using the computer’s spelling and grammar check. However, the type of writing task does not affect the number of errors as there is no significant difference between the two writing tasks. It supports the fact that post systematic errors are caused by several factors such as language transfer, intralingual interference and sociolinguistic situation. Accordingly, process approach writing is needed in which learners are given chance to make progress and, as suggested by Krashen’s theory, to become optimal Monitor users.

scholarly journals Changes of Walking Activity During the First Cycle Phases of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Seoul, Korea

2021 ◽  
pp. 193758672110265
Author(s):  
Youngjun Park ◽  
Haekwon Chung ◽  
Sohyun Park
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Voluntary Participation ◽  
Walking Activity ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Acceleration And Deceleration ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
The Government

Aim: This study explores the changes in regular walking activities during the phases of the pandemic. Background: With the spread of COVID-19 transmission, people are refraining from going out, reducing their physical activity. In South Korea, COVID-19 broke out in the 4th week of 2020 and experienced the first cycle phases of the pandemic, such as outbreak, widespread, and decline. In response to the pandemic, the government encouraged voluntary participation in social distancing campaigns, and people reduced their outside activities. Methods: This article examines the decrease and increase of the Prevalence of Regular Walking (≥30 min of moderate walking a day, on ≥5 days a week) by the COVID-19 phases. This study is based on weekly walking data for 15 weeks in 2020, via the smartphone healthcare app, which is managed by 25 public health offices of the Seoul government. Results: According to the findings, the level of prevalence of regular walking (PRW) has a significant difference before and after the outbreak, and every interval of the four-stage COVID-19 phases, that is, pre-pandemic, initiation, acceleration, and deceleration. The level of PRW sharply decreased during initiation and acceleration intervals. In the deceleration interval of COVID-19, the PRW kept increasing, but it has not yet reached the same level as the previous year when the COVID-19 did not exist. Conclusions: As a preliminary study, this study explains empirically how COVID-19 changed PRW in Seoul. It would be helpful to enhance our understanding of the changes in physical inactivity in the pandemic period.

Satisfaction and Consumption Emotions of Library Users at a Public University in Mexico: A Case Study

Libri ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanca-Lidia Miranda-Valencia
Keyword(s):  
Education Institution ◽  
Public University ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Business Research ◽  
Consumption Emotions ◽  
Library Users ◽  
Machine Learning Approach ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Consumption emotions are not always considered when satisfaction with library services is assessed. In this research, consumption emotions perceived by users of eight different libraries of a Mexican higher education institution are identified when using library services. Laros and Steenkamp. 2005. “Emotions in Consumer Behavior: A Hierarchical Approach.” Journal of Business Research 58: 1437–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2003.09.013 hierarchical scale was used to assess library users’ consumption emotions. The relationship between those emotions and the users’ satisfaction is then established and analyzed using both descriptive statistics analysis and an entropy-oriented machine learning approach. The first approach suggests that users feel more positive consumption emotions (contentment and happiness) than negative emotions (anger). The entropy analysis shows that the identified consumption emotions have a great prediction power over the satisfaction level that users will manifest. This research contributes to the issue of satisfaction assessment by including library users’ consumption emotions in Mexico.

scholarly journals Artificial life and ‘nature’s purposes’: The question of behavioral autonomy

Human Affairs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-596
Author(s):  
Elena Popa
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Life ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Autonomous Behavior ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Behavioral Autonomy ◽  
Synthetic Life ◽  
Biological Organisms

AbstractThis paper investigates the concept of behavioral autonomy in Artificial Life by drawing a parallel to the use of teleological notions in the study of biological life. Contrary to one of the leading assumptions in Artificial Life research, I argue that there is a significant difference in how autonomous behavior is understood in artificial and biological life forms: the former is underlain by human goals in a way that the latter is not. While behavioral traits can be explained in relation to evolutionary history in biological organisms, in synthetic life forms behavior depends on a design driven by a research agenda, further shaped by broader human goals. This point will be illustrated with a case study on a synthetic life form. Consequently, the putative epistemic benefit of reaching a better understanding of behavioral autonomy in biological organisms by synthesizing artificial life forms is subject to doubt: the autonomy observed in such artificial organisms may be a mere projection of human agency. Further questions arise in relation to the need to spell out the relevant human aims when addressing potential social or ethical implications of synthesizing artificial life forms.

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