scholarly journals Enhancing EFL teachers’ intercultural sensitivity through instruction, is it really feasible? An ethnocentrism versus ethnorelativism perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Ali Rahimi ◽  
Ali Soltani ◽  
Marzieh Ghamarnia
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Intercultural Sensitivity ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Modern Language ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Language Proficiency Test

It is simplistic to believe that second language learning can be accomplished without proper acquisition of the second language culture. This study aimed at investigating the feasibility of promoting Iranian EFL teachers’ intercultural sensitivity through training. To do so, 35 teachers, who proved to be homogenous, were randomly selected from among 45 teachers after the administration of the general language proficiency test TOEFL. Afterwards, Chen and Starosta’s Intercultural Sensitivity Scale was completed by the participants. They were then required to take the intercultural sensitivity training course for a semester. The same scale was completed by them at the end of the semester. A pre-test and a post-test were also administered. The results of the t-test run indicated a notable enhancement in the level of Iranian EFL teachers’ intercultural sensitivity. The findings could have some important implications for all stakeholders who are open-mindedly inclined to acknowledge the unavoidable, although neglected, role played by culture as the inseparable component of modern language education which can effectively trigger a movement away from ethnocentric stages towards ethno relative stages.   Keywords: EFL, ethnocentrism, ethno relativism, intercultural sensitivity.

scholarly journals The Extroverted Vs. the Introverted Personality and Second Language Learning

1987 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Kezwer
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Personality Assessment ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Classroom Teaching ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Assessment Instruments ◽  
Second Language Proficiency

There have been a number of studies done to try to explain the effects of out goingness versus reservedness on second language learning. The results of these studies have often been contradictory with some showing a clear correlation between extroversion and success in learning a second language, others failing to demonstrate that there is a positive correlation between out goingness and second language proficiency. This paper presents a survey of all the major studies dealing with the influence of extroversion on second language learning. It is argued that among the reasons for the discrepancies in research results are the wide variety and dubious validity of the personality assessment instruments used; the nature of the tasks used to determine second language proficiency; and the structure of classroom interaction. The implications of extroversion and introversion for classroom teaching are also considered.

scholarly journals The relationship between students’ second language learning anxiety and language proficiency

10.32698/0141 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Asnadia Binti Alias ◽  
Nur Atikah Binti Noor Rashid
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Language Learning Anxiety ◽  
Spearman Test ◽  
The Relationship

Students in Malaysian Polytechnics must enrol in a second language course as one of the compulsory courses offered by the institution. There is no placement test for polytechnics students to enrol in English language class. Therefore, students with different level of proficiency are mixed together in a classroom to learn English language. Consequently, students encountered difficulties in learning the second language due to feeling of anxiety. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the correlation between students’ language learning anxiety and their language proficiency. This study involved of 96 semester three students from Civil Engineering Department, Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin which have been chosen randomly. A 33 item questionnaire of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was analysed using SPSS 22. The study revealed that the students experienced moderate level of language learning anxiety. Correlations – Spearman Test was used to determine the relationship between students’ second language learning anxiety and language proficiency. Three types of anxiety was tested which are Test Anxiety, Communication Apprehension and Fear of Negative Evaluation. Correlations – Spearman Test demonstrated that only Test Anxiety showed significant relationship with students’ language proficiency. Several implications have been discussed to offer suggestions to the lecturers in dealing with students learning anxiety. Lecturers should be careful in correcting students’ error to avoid students feel humiliated. This is because students tend to feel anxious whenever lecturers correct their mistakes in the classroom. A further research should be carried out by using two approaches; qualitative and quantitative and adds more variables such as attitude and motivation towards learning a second language.

scholarly journals The meaning(s) of practice: Puzzling through performative language practice with refugee learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Piazzoli ◽  
Elif Kir Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Performative Language ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

This article features an investigation into the semantics of the term ‘practice’ coexisting in a multidisciplinary research context. The background of the discussion is a government-funded study with refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland, where process drama, music and dance were used to facilitate second language learning – an approach known as performative language pedagogy. The research is framed by exploratory practice, a methodology that considers ‘practice-as-research’ and ‘understanding-for-practice’ in second language education. An investigation of the meaning(s) of the term ‘practice’ was imperative as a semantic gap existed between the use of the term ‘practice’ in exploratory practice (the research methodology underpinning the study) and the concept of ‘practice’ in performative language pedagogy (the teaching approach used in the study). This article presents findings from twelve qualitative interviews with teacher/artists and practitioners that point towards a shared understanding of practice when working with refugees in language education settings.

Internet-Based Technology Use in Second Language Learning

2015 ◽  
pp. 432-446
Author(s):  
Shuyi Guan
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Instructional Tools ◽  
Second Languages ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Online Technologies

Ever since computer technologies were accessible to second language learners and teachers, various types of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) have been harnessed in the service of teaching languages. Most recently, the advent of online technologies has sparked CALL practitioners to integrate this powerful form of teaching and learning into language education. This paper synthesizes the extant research on these online language education activities and the state of current understanding regarding the potential of Internet-based teaching and learning second languages. The results of analyzing extensive studies of Internet-based second language learning reveals that Internet-based technology has been widely used in second language learning. In addition, Internet-based technologies are effective instructional tools for second language learning and teaching.

scholarly journals Social Robots for Language Learning: A Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rianne van den Berghe ◽  
Josje Verhagen ◽  
Ora Oudgenoeg-Paz ◽  
Sanne van der Ven ◽  
Paul Leseman
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Social Robots ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Robot Assisted ◽  
Second Language Education

In recent years, robots have increasingly been implemented as tutors in both first- and second-language education. The field of robot-assisted language learning (RALL) is developing rapidly. Studies have been published targeting different languages, age groups, and aspects of language and using different robots and methodologies. The present review presents an overview of the results obtained so far in RALL research and discusses the current possibilities and limitations of using social robots for first- and second-language learning. Thirty-three studies in which vocabulary, reading skills, speaking skills, grammar, and sign language were taught are discussed. Beside insights into learning gains attained in RALL situations, these studies raise more general issues regarding students’ motivation and robots’ social behavior in learning situations. This review concludes with directions for future research on the use of social robots in language education.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Simplification Strategies in a Reading Textbook of Japanese as a Foreign Language

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-33
Author(s):  
Kristina HMELJAK SANGAWA
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Second Language Learning

Reading is one of the bases of second language learning, and it can be most effective when the linguistic difficulty of the text matches the reader's level of language proficiency. The present paper reviews previous research on the readability and simplification of Japanese texts, and presents an analysis of a collection of simplified texts for learners of Japanese as a foreign language. The simplified texts are compared to their original versions to uncover different strategies used to make the texts more accessible to learners. The list of strategies thus obtained can serve as useful guidelines for assessing, selecting, and devising texts for learners of Japanese as a foreign language.

scholarly journals WhatsApp and Learn English: a Study of the Effectiveness of WhatsApp in Developing Reading and Writing Skills in English

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabri Saleh Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Natural Interaction ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Post Test

This study has examined the effectiveness of using WhatsApp, as one of mobile-assisted language learning applications, in enhancing learners’ reading and writing skills in English. Twenty EFL undergraduate students of Aden University participated in a WhatsApp English medium group with the researcher where they and the researcher chat, share news articles and comment on news articles for two months. During this period, the researcher was observing their progress and then, they were given a questionnaire to report their experience about the effectiveness of WhatsApp in developing their reading and writing skills. Findings from students’ pre-test and post-test, researcher’s observations of students’ progress and students’ responses to the questionnaire revealed that WhatsApp was very effective in developing their reading and writing skills. It helped them a lot in developing their vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension and writing skills. The study concluded that WhatsApp English medium groups provide space for practising natural language, especially in written communication, keep students learn and practice English outside the classroom and motivate them to learn from each other. As per the findings, the study has recommended EFL teachers to use WhatsApp in their teaching of English and to motivate their students to create and join WhatsApp English medium groups as that will help them in developing students’ language proficiency through natural interaction and contextualized language use that can’t be provided by the classroom.

scholarly journals The Role of Teachers in Task-Based Language Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 164-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Van den Branden
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Teacher As Researcher ◽  
Scant Attention ◽  
Pedagogical Literature

ABSTRACTBoth in the research literature on tasks and second language learning and in the pedagogical literature on task-based language teaching (TBLT), the role of the teacher has received scant attention. In this article, the role of the teacher in TBLT is approached from three perspectives: (a) the teacher as mediator of the students’ language development, contributing to the effectiveness of TBLT as a pedagogical approach to second language education; (b) the teacher as a key figure in the implementation of TBLT, and thus as a change agent in the innovation of second language education; and (c) the teacher as researcher, and thus as an active contributor to the development and further refinement of TBLT as a researched pedagogy.

Teachers’ Role in Dealing with Errors in Students’ Second Language Learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 644
Author(s):  
Wei Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Language Class

Methods applied to improve learners’ achievements in learning process have aroused public attention in second language education. Error correction is what both teachers and learners often focus on, and most of them over emphasized the importance of corrective feedback, which leads to a lack of confidence in learners to tap their capacity in using the new language. Therefore, this paper discusses the effective way to deal with learners’ errors in second language learning process. A switch from the emphasis on the correct form of language to the way to improve learners’ learning ability is investigated in a second language class with instructions of how to apply new knowledge properly in practice being introduced in Group Work activities. Grading in Learners wring and oral exams analyzed by SPSS shows an advancement as well as the improved learning confidence. Some effective teaching methods and the positive effects from the results of a quantitative research on second language learners are explored in this paper, which are of great use in a second language class as well as some relative researches.

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