scholarly journals University Students’ Attitudes towards the Use of YouTube in the EFL Classroom

HOW ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-158
Author(s):  
María Victoria Fernández-Carballo
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Education Degree ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Method Approach

Noticing the generally lower-than-desirable English language proficiency level with which Spanish students start university, I considered trying a different approach in which the use of a familiar application would be introduced in the classroom. The main objective of this work is to explore Primary Education degree programme students’ attitudes towards the integration of YouTube in the English language classroom. To this end, 46 third-year intermediate-level students participated in the study. It adopted a mixed-method approach, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The results show that, although participants mentioned some drawbacks, they reacted positively to the use of the platform. Given these results and the benefits offered, the integration of YouTube in the foreign language classroom is highly recommended.

scholarly journals Learning Arabic Media Related Vocabulary through Twitter at the University of Alabama

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saad Bushaala ◽  
Safa Elnaili ◽  
Maysoun Ali
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
Students Attitudes

This research paper aims to investigate the effect of utilizing Twitter in a foreign language classroom and how it would affect students’ attitudes towards learning Arabic media related vocabulary. The researchers used qualitative and quantitative methods as a methodological approach to the study. The subjects of the study are American undergraduate students studying Arabic for their third semester, 11 participated in the study. The participants were asked to open Twitter accounts in order to practice reading up-to-date tweets from global news agencies. Participants took pre and post-tests, then were asked to take a questionnaire; a structured interview was also carried out along with reflections to have a better understanding of the students’ attitude towards the use of Twitter in the classroom. The data were gathered throughout the semester and analyzed qualitatively and the participants’ responses were coded for certain themes and then analyzed. The findings indicated that the students had a positive attitude towards the use of Twitter in learning vocabulary for specific topics -in this study media/political-related vocabulary- in the foreign language classroom. In addition, the quantitative data used as confirmation and showed vocabulary gains after the Twitter treatment. The study’s findings can be applied to any foreign language and can have important implications and recommendations for language teachers and educators in the field. The findings will add valuable recommendations on how to integrate social media platforms in a foreign language classroom.

scholarly journals Recasts versus clarification requests: The relevance of linguistic target, proficiency, and communicative ability

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Mifka-Profozic
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Communicative Ability ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Linguistic Structures ◽  
Grammatical Structures ◽  
Communicative Skill ◽  
Passe Compose

AbstractThis paper compares the effects of recasts and clarification requests as two implicit types of corrective feedback (CF) on learning two linguistic structures denoting past aspectual distinction in French, the passé composé and the imparfait. The participants in this classroom-based study are 52 high-school learners of French FL at a pre-intermediate level of proficiency (level B1 of CEFR). A distinctive feature of this study is the use of focused, context constrained communicative tasks in both treatment and tests. The paper specifically highlights the advantages of feedback using recasts for the acquisition of morpho-syntactically complex grammatical structures such as is the French passé composé. The study points to the participants’ communicative ability as an essential aspect of language proficiency, which seems to be crucial to bringing about the benefits of recasts. Oral communicative skill in a foreign language classroom is seen as a prerequisite for an appropriate interpretation and recognition of the corrective nature of recasts.

scholarly journals Sources and Levels of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety of English as a Foreign Language University Students with regard to Language Proficiency and Gender

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emre Debreli ◽  
Seren Demirkan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Speaking Anxiety ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Turkish Cypriot

<p>Although foreign language anxiety is a widely explored subject in the area of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), studies that focus on the speaking anxiety in EFL, as well as the gender and language proficiency level–anxiety relationship, are rare. The present study investigates the phenomenon in an EFL context and analyzes the levels of EFL students’ speaking anxiety and the sources that make them anxious. It also explores whether there is any relationship between anxiety and students’ language proficiency level and gender. Data were gathered from 196 Turkish and Turkish Cypriot students through questionnaires (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale), as well as through semi-structured interviews with 10 students who participated in the questionnaires. The findings indicated that the students generally had low level of speaking anxiety, although students with a higher level of language proficiency had a higher level of anxiety compared with that for students with a lower level of language proficiency. No statistically meaningful difference was observed with regard to students’ gender and anxiety levels. Factors that caused anxiety—such as difficulty in pronunciation, being asked immediate questions by the teacher, not understanding the question asked by the teacher—not found in the current literature also emerged from the present study. Implications for teacher education are also discussed.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing EFL Students’ Language Proficiency in Secondary School Classes in Benin

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
Ulrich Orlando Sèna Hindeme ◽  
Katchédé Etienne Iwikotan ◽  
Arlette Joséline Arlette Hounhanou
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
English Language ◽  
Basic Function ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Efl Students

This paper presents a study on assessing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ language proficiency in Benin secondary schools. Assessment and evaluation are indispensable components of English language teaching. Assessing students is crucial to both learners and teachers themselves in the sense that its basic function is to improve learning. However, much awareness has not been raised on the key roles of assessment in Benin secondary schools. This study aims at investigating how effective teachers’ assessment of their learners’ language abilities is in EFL classroom and to explore EFL learners’ attitude towards assessment. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, 56 EFL teachers and 458 lower intermediate and upper EFL learners in the Atlantic region in Benin participated in this study. The field study revealed that many teachers wrongly mistake assessment for test and thus use both terms to mean the same thing. Teachers have not been able to see tests as a way of assessing their teaching methods and upgrading their students’ language skills. Besides, most teachers stated that testing is the only tool they use in assessing their learners’ language proficiency and it is mostly for the purpose of assigning grades at the end of the terms. Students declared that most tests consist of grammar questions. As this study draws attention to the close relationship between assessment and teaching, training workshops have been recommended to guide and train teachers on how to effectively assess their students so that teaching and learning in the EFL classroom meet expected objectives and goals.

scholarly journals Building Cross-Cultural Competence in a Foreign Language through Technology-Enhanced Project-Based Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (27) ◽  
pp. 411-418
Author(s):  
Anastasiia Syzenko ◽  
Yana Diachkova
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
English Language ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Master Level

In contemporary changing and innovative academic and working environment, tertiary schools need to rethink their approach to teaching and learning by gearing it towards the skills in most demand. Innovation in any sphere becomes more and more dependent on the collaboration between actors from very different backgrounds who combine their own expertise to create something new. This happens both on an individual- as well as on an institutional level. The organizations of the future will be forced to work more and more closely with people and institutional partners from all over the world in order to bring as many different perspectives and areas of expertise together as possible. This means that cross-cultural competence becomes one of the crucial factors in building a competitive profile of a prospective specialist. Therefore, this paper explores approaches to building cross-cultural competence using the English language as a tool and presents the findings of a pilot training on experimental collaborative cross-cultural project implemented with Master level Economics students in Ukraine. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect the data and examine participants' language proficiency. The findings suggest that participation in collaborative technology-enhanced cross-cultural projects has a significant positive effect on learners’ language proficiency and develops their cross-cultural competence facilitating development of productive skills on the basis of receptive ones.

Attributions for Success and Failure: Gender and Language Proficiency Differences among Iranian EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afsane Mohammadi ◽  
Masoud Sharififar
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Attribution Theory ◽  
English Language ◽  
External Factors ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
The Relationship

The study examined the attributions of Iranian English language learners for their successes and failure s in learning English as foreign language and to determine the relationship between learners' gender and attributions. Moreover, the relationship between their proficiency level and attributions was investigated. To this end, the Attribution Theory for Foreign Language Learners Questionnaire (ATFLL) was administered to 200 English language students studying in different private language institutes of Kerman and Mashhad, Iran. A theoretical framework adopted from Weiner (1986) was applied to categorize students' responses based on attributions (ability, effort, task difficulty and luck).  To analyze the data, SPSS 22.0 was employed. The results of the study indicated that learners attributed their success and failure to both internal and external factors but giving more priority to external factors. Furthermore, it was revealed that there were significant relationships between learner's gender, proficiency level and attributions.

scholarly journals Transversal Competences in Engineering Degrees: Integrating Content and Foreign Language Teaching

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Polyakova Oksana ◽  
Ruzana Galstyan-Sargsyan ◽  
P. Amparo López-Jiménez ◽  
Modesto Pérez-Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Skill Training ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Analysis Task ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Learning Institutions

There has been a constant advance of the labour markets and permanent reorientation towards digital Industry 4.0. Yet, the environments for learning remain unchallenged when it comes to the provision of new professionals across the globe. Therefore, this has created a gap in transversal competences, which has compelled students of higher learning institutions to pursue them. The majority of higher learning institutions have emphasised transversal skills among learners and developed curriculums to accomplish these demands. The primary focus of the study was to attain integration and fusion of transversal skills into the development of specialised curriculum training for foreign language proficiency. The study applied mixed methodology techniques, which combined qualitative and quantitative methods in the study. To guarantee cohesion of the study, four research and monitoring techniques such as course dossiers, needs analysis, task-based activities and adapted competences scales were used. The outcome of the research shows findings provided by the piloting stage of the teaching experience and emphasises the need for student-based skill training.

scholarly journals The Effect of English Language Proficiency Level on Undergraduate Libyan Students’ Use of Subject Verb Agreement

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-98
Author(s):  
Eman A. Elmejie Elmejie ◽  
Fatima M. Elzawawi ◽  
Amel M. Msimeer
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Verb Agreement ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Third Person

This study aims to examine the proficiency level of Libyan EFL (English as a Foreign Language) undergraduate students in terms of the types of subject-verb agreement errors they commit. It also attempts to identify, analyze and categorize the frequency errors related to subject-verb agreement into three categories. These errors are statically analyzed and classified into: subject-verb agreement (SVA) errors with third person singular subjects (TPSS), with third person plural subjects (TPPS), with compound subjects (CS). The participants of this study were 40 intermediate and advanced students whose major is English at the Faculty of Arts in Misurata University, Libya. They were chosen based on their level of English language proficiency during the current study. The data of this study were collected through a written test consisting of six short passages. The results showed that the percentage of errors made by both groups was below 30% which refers to non-significant differences among the two groups with respect to the SVA errors made by them. Consequently, it can be concluded that language proficiency has little effect on the participants' use of the SVA rule. It was also found that subject-verb agreement errors with (TPPS) were the least frequent, and the most common errors committed were (CS) and (TPSS). This study is important for EFL teachers to be aware of the subject verb agreement errors that their target learners commonly produce. The implications for SLA research and classroom teaching practice are given for foreign language teachers and researchers.

Can-Do descriptors – Realigning English Language Curriculum at Higher Education Institution to CEFR

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Erda Wati Bakar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
The Common ◽  
The University

The Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) has become the standard used to describe and evaluate students’ command of a second or foreign language. It is an internationally acknowledged standard language proficiency framework which many countries have adopted such as China, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan. Malaysia Ministry of Education is aware and realise the need for the current English language curriculum to be validated as to reach the international standard as prescribed by the CEFR. The implementation of CEFR has begun at primary and secondary level since 2017 and now higher education institutions are urged to align their English Language Curriculum to CEFR as part of preparation in receiving students who have been taught using CEFR-aligned curriculum at schools by year 2022. This critical reflection article elucidates the meticulous processes that we have embarked on in re-aligning our English Language Curriculum to the standard and requirements of CEFR. The paper concludes with a remark that the alignment of the English curriculum at the university needs full support from the management in ensuring that all the stakeholders are fully prepared, informed and familiar with the framework.

Exploring Foreign Language Communication Apprehension among the English Language University Students in the English Language Classroom Setting

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-39
Author(s):  
Draženka Molnar ◽  
Gabrijela Crnjak
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communication Apprehension ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
General View ◽  
Total Level ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
The Social ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Language Communication

Abstract Over the past few decades the interest in communication apprehension has increased among researchers and teachers in the field of second/foreign language acquisition (SLA/FLA).The present paper is set between the macro perspective of the social-psychological period - by giving a general view of communication apprehension (CA) - and the situation-specific period - by taking into consideration the immediate educational context.The paper focuses on the phenomenon of communication apprehension among the Croatian university level students in a foreign language classroom setting.In particular, it investigates if there is a difference in the total level of communication apprehension between undergraduate and graduate students of English Language and Literature.Furthermore, it explores whether there is a relationship between different aspects of communication apprehension and the total level of communication apprehension and which background factor is the best predictor of communication apprehension among the students.The first part of the paper brings a theoretical background of the main concepts in this research, whereas the second part of the paper reports on the research itself.Two sets of instruments, questionnaires completed by the students and in-depth interviews conducted among the teachers, were used for the purpose of this study.The results show that the year of study is not a significant predictor of the communication apprehension level which students experience.Among all variables included in the analysis, the only significant predictors of communication apprehension are evaluations.

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