scholarly journals LANGUAGE CAMP IN MALAYSIA: ASNAF STUDENTS’ NEEDS AND PERCEPTION

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-295
Author(s):  
Nur Yasmin Khairani Binti Zakaria ◽  
Maslawati Mohamad ◽  
Fazilah Idris
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Addie Model

Purpose of the study: This study aims to identify Asnaf students’ needs in language learning and their perception of the implementation of the language camp module that had been developed by researchers using the ADDIE model Methodology: In-depth analysis of focus group interviews with Asnaf students was conducted, and the data obtained were analysed thematically according to several categories Main Findings and Novelty: The findings of this study revealed that students believed that their anxiety was lowered when they were given the opportunity to cooperate with their friends in a fully immersive and fun English language learning context Applications of this study: The modules and the findings of this study could be used by any English language educators to conduct English language camps especially to Asnaf children who stay in charity homes.

scholarly journals English Language Student-Teachers Developing Agency Through Community-Based Pedagogy Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Hernández Varona ◽  
Daniel Felipe Gutiérrez Álvarez
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
English Language ◽  
Public University ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Journal Entries

This paper presents a narrative inquiry study on agency development in student-teachers of an English language teacher program at a public university in the south of Colombia. Our goal was to understand how student-teachers develop agency when narratively inquiring their community by planning and conducting community-based pedagogy projects on issues they found pertinent to investigate. The data were gathered through semi-structured focus group interviews, individual journal entries, and video-recorded talks about their inquiries. As a conclusion, we acknowledge that certain social and narrative practices such as interacting within their inquiry groups, interacting with their communities, voicing their communities’ necessities, and acting upon the inquired necessities facilitated developing agency and contributed to rethinking their roles as transformative members of their communities.

scholarly journals Pedagogical experiences in a virtual exchange project using high-immersion virtual reality for intercultural language learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 155-160
Author(s):  
Kristi Jauregi-Ondarra ◽  
Alice Gruber ◽  
Silvia Canto
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
The Social ◽  
Anxiety Levels ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Different Sources

Social Virtual Reality (VR) applications enable real-time interpersonal conversation and allow users to perform activities together. They have the potential of changing the ways learners practise speaking a foreign language. Following a previous study (Jauregi Ondarra, Gruber, & Canto, 2020), we designed the present study to explore how presence, immersion, and interactivity affect overall social experience. Students from Germany and the Netherlands engaged in High-immersion VR (HiVR) virtual exchange sessions, using Spanish as a lingua franca at A2 level. International dyads carried out four interaction tasks in AltspaceVR, using head-mounted devices. To examine students’ HiVR virtual exchange experiences, different sources of data were gathered: questionnaires, reflection diaries, recordings, and focus group interviews. The preliminary results, based on the surveys and reflection journals, show that students liked to use a social VR app to communicate in the target language with peers from other countries, as they felt completely immersed and co-present in the social interactive VR space. This might enhance engagement and lower anxiety levels.

scholarly journals Revisiting integrative motivation: Validation of International Posture among Malaysian undergraduates

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-236
Author(s):  
Fatin Nabila Abd Razak ◽  
Vahid Nimehchisalem ◽  
Helen Tan ◽  
Geok Imm Lee ◽  
Ain Nadzimah Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Integrative Motivation ◽  
International Posture

Gardner’s (1985) in his socio-educational model introduced the variable of ‘integrativeness’ as a construct that focuses on English as a Second Language (ESL) learners’ attitudes towards the native English community. Later, Yashima (2002) proposed ‘international posture’ as an affective construct that re-examined ‘integrativeness’. Research conducted to reach a common operationalisation of ‘international posture’ is very limited. Hence, our objective in this study is to determine the level of each measurement construct under the affective variable of International Posture as well as to validate the measurement constructs of this variable among Malaysian undergraduates. In this quantitative study, 540 undergraduate students from a public university were selected. These students responded to a questionnaire that contained the four measurement constructs. For analysing the data, we used Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Our results have proven that the International Posture among Malaysian undergraduates is high, and the measurement constructs of this variable are valid and can be operationalised in the Malaysian English language learning context. The scale validated in the study can contribute to future studies on this variable in the Malaysian English language learning context. 

scholarly journals Creativity and attitudes in English language learning

DOCERE ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 37-40
Author(s):  
Rosario de los Milagros Ruiz Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Basic Level

Una de las competencias más importantes en bachillerato es el desarrollo de las habilidades de escritura; por eso, es indispensable promover estrategias de aprendizaje gramatical de forma situada que doten a los estudiantes de conocimientos explícitos sobre la lengua para comunicar sus ideas eficazmente. Para ello, el texto literario es un recurso valioso que fortalece la competencia lingüística a través de la creación poética. Aquí se ofrece una propuesta didáctica, cuyo soporte es la estructura analógica; en ella se combinan las funciones poética y metalingüística de la lengua, por medio de la producción de greguerías, para analizar cuál es la función del verbo. De esta manera, al reconocer el tipo de sintagma verbal escrito, se confirma si la intención comunicativa ha sido expresada correctamente. Abstract This in an exploratory research about students’ attitudes towards English language learning and teaching creativity at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH). The participants were learners in the first and last English course, which is the sixth semester. The purpose was to find out what kind of tendencies the results exhibit as students advance in studies, and to what extent teachers’ creativity might have influenced the outcome. Data was collected from 297 students currently enrolled in the Instituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades (ICSHU), using a questionnaire and focus group interviews. Results showed that attitudes to English language learning are extremely positive among basic level students, but negative feelings increase in the last course. Regarding creativity, it was found that teachers are too enclosed by the school policies that they do not perform at their fullest potential creativity.

scholarly journals International EFL/ESL Master Students’ Adaptation Strategies for Academic Writing Practices at Tertiary Level

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 620-643
Author(s):  
Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
Group Interviews

The present research provides insights into the different forms of adaptation strategies employed by international graduate students to overcome the challenges faced in the academic writing practices and gain access to their disciplinary communities of practice at Master’s level. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured in-depth focus group interviews. Respondents were 70 international graduate students enrolled in various Master-level programs. Semi-structured focus group interviews allowed the international graduate students to share their own experiences in the employment of suitable adaptation strategies to overcome the challenges faced in their academic writing practices in the Master programs. The adaptation strategies employed include enhancing their English language proficiency, referring to non-formal advisory services, and improving their academic writing style.

scholarly journals Second Language Learning and the Clash of Civilizations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Salwa Al harthi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Clash Of Civilizations ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Arab Muslim ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This researchinvestigates the relationship amongsecond language learning, identity, culture, and motivation in Saudi Arabia (SA). SA’s education system concentrates on teaching, while identity and social aspects have only been given little attention. The researcher seeks to redress this balance by exploring the impact of pupils’ negative views toward the linguistic communities and of themselves as Muslim pupils. It aims to investigate how negative views toward the English language speaking communities could affect or demotivate Arab Muslim female learners to learn the language. The researcher supports the arguments using a qualitative approach and data drawn from pupils’ focus group interviews and one-to-one teachers’ interviews. The current study involves 132 second-year pupils from a secondary public school in Taif city, in SA and three Saudi English language teachers.The findings indicate the impact of various social factors relevant to the Saudi identity and culture on pupils’ English as a second language (ESL) learning in the Saudi context. Participants’ beliefs and practices of ESL appear to be influenced by certain negative views towardthe English- speaking communities.Finally, the study recommends extending the setting of the sample for future study to include more than one city in order to compare cultural and social attributes that impact ESL, ascultures and identities vary from one area to another in SA.

scholarly journals Teacher and Students’ Perceptions of Reading a Graphic Novel using the Multiliteracies Approach in an ESL Classroom

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahida Pishol ◽  
Sarjit Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Journal Writing ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Graphic Novel ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Writing Activity ◽  
Esl Classroom

Purpose – This article reports on the practical application of Learning Elements advocated by the multiliteracies approach to classroom practice. Its ideas are grounded in the multiliteracies pedagogical principles of teaching and learning that address issues on literacy and learning in today’s globalised world. The main objective of this study was to analyse the perceptions of one ESL teacher and 24 students in reading a graphic novel using the multiliteracies approach in an ESL classroom.   Methodology – The study involved the collection of qualitative data which was derived from focus group interviews and a journal writing activity. These instruments aimed to get feedback from the ESL teacher and students about their perceptions of reading a graphic novel using the multiliteracies approach in the reading classroom. The materials used for the focus group interviews and the journal writing activity. The data from the focus group interviews were analysed by using thematic analysis. Meanwhile, the data from the teacher journal entries were subjected to a micro analysis approach using the content analysis method.   Findings – The findings showed that the students perceived the use of the graphic novel and the multiliteracies approach in their reading class positively because they felt that the lessons were engaging, enjoyable and interesting. This supported the views of the ESL teacher who advocated the inclusion of multimodal pedagogical practices in the learning context to promote positive outcomes.   Significance – This study would benefit ESL students in terms of enjoyment in reading. Firstly, reading a graphic novel can tap into students’ interest and can motivate them to read and write. Additionally, it would also motivate students to learn collaboratively with their peers. The fi ndings of the study offer ESL teachers and researchers valuable insights of reading a graphic novel using the multiliteracies approach in reading classrooms, as well as planning effective lessons and integrating technology, in an effort to motivate students to read in English.  

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