scholarly journals IMPROVING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION USING VIP (VOCABULARY INVESTOR PACKAGE) MEDIA AT SMKN 1 BATU

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-95
Author(s):  
Indah Dwi Wahyuni ◽  
◽  
Erythrina Crista Wijayanti ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Average Score ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Crucial Part ◽  
Better Than

One of main concerns of the most English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers is how to assist the students to develop English language proficiency. In this regard, reading is considered as a crucial part of the EFL learning process. The major goal of teaching reading is students are able to recognize the words and convey the meaning of them. Vocabulary seems to gain far more attention as the students had difficulties of interpreting the words that interferes their reading comprehension. Given such limitation of the students’ competence, their motivation may become low. Having seen this phenomenon, the teacher should maximize opportunities for students to improve their reading comprehension as well as their motivation. To this end, this research investigates the implementation of VIP (Vocabulary Investor Package) Media to enhance students’ reading comprehension. The research conducted Classroom Action Research (CAR) by employing 2 cycles to 28 students of twelve grade at SMKN 1 Batu. Accordingly, the procedures included planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. The results show that (1) the highest score in cycle 2 was higher than the highest score in cycle 1; (2) the lowest score in cycle1 increased compared to cycle 1; (3) the average score was better than in cycle 1; (4) the percentage of students who achieved the minimum criterion (KKM) in cycle 2 was improved rather than in cycle 1; and (5) the percentage of students who did not reached KKM was decreased compared to cycle 1. Therefore, the use of VIP (Vocabulary Investor Package) Media successfully improves students’ reading comprehension. For the effective implementation, this suggests that applying VIP media to the other skills is highly required.

Non-native EFL teachers’ email production and perceptions of e-(im)politeness

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis ◽  
Helen Woodfield ◽  
Christine Savvidou
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Politeness Strategies

AbstractThe present study investigates the nature of email requests to faculty produced by non-native speaker (NNS) teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), the importance attached by these teachers to linguistic forms designed to achieve email politeness and status-congruence, and the extent to which perceptions and evaluations by the NNS teachers and native-speaker (NS) lecturers might differ with regard to these emails. The study found that the non-native speaker teachers (NNSTs) evidenced a developed sense of sociopragmatic knowledge in high imposition L2 requests for action, and employed politeness strategies that were indicative of a concern to maintain social and face relationships in virtual consultations. It is argued that despite their advanced English language proficiency, the teachers’ reliance on directness, excessive formality, and lengthy grounders could still put them out-of-status and render their emails as pragmatically inappropriate. The study further confirmed significant differences in how the two groups perceive appropriateness and politeness in direct and unmodified student email requests to faculty. Overall, while the NSs judged the emails primarily according to their content and, to a lesser extent, according to their form and framing devices, the NNSTs focused almost exclusively on form and framing devices (in/formality, in/directness, nature and extent of mitigation, opening/closing moves, forms of address).

scholarly journals Learners’ Perceptions of Monolingual Dictionaries in Learning English as a Foreign Language

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Wajahat Taj Abbasi ◽  
Mudassar Mahmood Ahmad ◽  
Faiza Abdalla Elhussien Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Internal Reliability ◽  
Bilingual Dictionaries ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Learning English

Dictionary is an acknowledged learning tool which has a tremendous role in acquiring a language. It has proved to be helpful in learning vocabulary and developing language proficiency. The use of monolingual dictionaries is thought to be very fruitful for learning vocabulary. The present study used survey method to gain the perception of the students about the use of monolingual dictionaries for learning EFL. The study also used interviews of EFL teachers to support the findings of the study by eliciting their perceptions about the use of dictionaries by students. A questionnaire was administered in two governmental secondary schools of Zulfi, Saudi Arabia. It was sent to 99 students but a number 92 students responded. Internal reliability of the questionnaire was.81. Descriptive statistical methods were used for analyzing the quantitative data. Additional interviews with 9 teachers were also conducted to support the findings of the questionnaire. Collective thematic analysis of all interviews was conducted to analyze the qualitative data. The results showed that students have positive views about the use of dictionaries for learning EFL; they prefer to use monolingual dictionaries, but they cannot truly use them because bilingual dictionaries are easier and more helpful for them in translation as well as their process of learning English language due to their low proficiency levels. The paper puts forth some recommendations and suggestions that will be helpful for using monolingual dictionaries. It concludes by focussing on the problems in handling monolingual dictionaries.

scholarly journals Pedagogic Effectiveness of Digital Storytelling in Improving Speaking Skills of Saudi EFL learners

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayam Mohamed Salama Eissa
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
Conventional Methods

The purpose of this study is to find why adult learners are unable to speak English as Foreign language (EFL) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it tests the pedagogy of adopting the strategy of Digital Story Telling (DST) in teaching English as a foreign language. The study is applied on Northern Boarder University as a case study. The first question raised in this study is whether the conventional methods of teaching are the reason behind their failure of speaking the English language and whether the modification in the pedagogy of teaching affects the learners' speaking skill. To this end, data are collected through a questionnaire. Furthermore, a model of a teaching program, based on using DST strategy, is improved and tested with a group of learners at the chosen university in Saudi Arabia. The findings reveal that the learners at the selected university find difficulty in speaking English, and that applying DST as a pedagogy help the students to develop their overall speaking skill. These findings assist EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia in creating a conducive atmosphere in and out their classes, which will motivate the learners a lot to speak English fluently. The conclusion of the research recommends that EFL teachers should modify their conventional methods of teaching English as a foreign language; they may apply the strategy of using DST on their students to test the competence of the hypothesis.

scholarly journals The Anxiety Factors among Saudi EFL Learners: A Study from English Language Teachers’ Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariha Asif
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
College And University ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Language Teachers

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that trigger language anxiety among Saudi learners in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. The factor of anxiety is especially found among learners while developing proficiency in over all communication and speaking skills as felt by the EFL teachers. The study also seeks to answer the questions like what are the socio-cultural factors as well as psycholinguistic factors that cause language anxiety. Furthermore, this study also explores strategies that can be designed and used to cope with language anxiety successfully. The scope of the study is limited to the college and university English teachers and subject specialists working in public sectors colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia.

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 The Comparative Effect of Teaching Metacognitive Strategies and Collaborative Strategic Reading on EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Mania Nosratinia ◽  
Elham Mohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Metacognitive Strategies ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Strategic Reading ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Collaborative Strategic Reading ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Better Than

This study was an attempt to systematically investigate the comparative impact of teaching Metacognitive Strategies (MS) and Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' Reading Comprehension (RC). The participants were 58 homogenized intermediate level female EFL learners, within the age range of 18-30 (Mage = 24); they were non-randomly selected and were randomly assigned into two experimental groups of 29. One experimental group received MS training based on Anderson's (2002) model, and the other experimental group received training in CSR based on Klingner and Vaughn’s (1998) model. Inspecting the initially-homogenized participants’ post-treatment performance, through using a piloted PET reading test and running an independent-samples t-test, revealed that the MS group performed significantly better than the CSR group in terms of RC. The study concludes with a discussion on the obtained results, followed by presenting some implications for EFL teachers, EFL learners, and EFL material developers.  

scholarly journals A STUDY ON INDONESIAN TEACHERS’ USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 01
Author(s):  
Isry Laila Syathroh ◽  
Bachrudin - Musthafa ◽  
Pupung - Purnawarman
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Educational Tools ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teachers Attitudes ◽  
Teaching Learning

Since 1960, technology has been used as one of educational tools to help teachers in teaching learning process. In the context of foreign language teaching, technology is utilized for various reasons and purposes. A questionnaire was distributed to 150 English as foreign Language (EFL) teachers in West Java to investigate the use of technology in their EFL classroom. Specifically, this paper reports the type of technology which teachers usually use in teaching English and also elaborate the reasons why teachers apply technology in their classrooms. Finally, this paper explores teachers’ attitudes on the use of technology in language teaching.

scholarly journals Oral Corrective Feedback Techniques: An Investigation of the EFL Teachers' Beliefs and Practices at Taif University

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reem Alkhammash ◽  
Fahmeeda Gulnaz
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
English Language ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Oral Corrective Feedback ◽  
The Impact

Recent research has shown that little attention has been paid to teachers’ views regarding giving oral corrective feedback (Sepehrinia & Mehdizadeh, 2016). To fill this gap, this empirical study investigates the beliefs of Taif University’s teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) about their feedback practices and their perception of the impact that these practices have on students' performance. An opinionnaire of 18 items was designed with closed-ended questions. A five-point Likert’s scale was employed to measure three subscales: teachers’ beliefs and practices about their corrective feedback; types of oral corrective feedback used by EFL teachers; and their perception of students’ uptake. The survey was administered to fifty-seven English as foreign language (EFL) teachers at the English Language Centre (ELC), Taif University who were asked to fill in an online survey regarding their oral corrective feedback practices in the classroom. Their responses were analysed quantitatively. The findings of the study were that the participants allocated highest preferences to the techniques of elicitation, repetition and recast, and that they frequently use them in their classrooms.

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.

EFFECTS OF LANGUAGE AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE LEVELS ON HYPERTEXT READING COMPREHENSION

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kshema Jose
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Reading Order ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Online Texts ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Better Than

<p>This study observed how two hypertext features – absence of a linear or author-specified order and availability of multiple reading aids – influence reading comprehension processes of ESL readers. Studies with native or highly proficient users of English, have suggested that readers reading hypertexts comprehend better than readers reading print texts. This was attributed to (i) presence of hyperlinks that provide access to additional information that can potentially help overcome comprehension obstacles and (ii) the absence of an author-imposed reading order that helps readers exercise cognitive flexibility. An aspect that remains largely un-researched is how well readers with low language competence comprehend hypertexts. This research sought to initiate research in the area by exploring the question: Do all ESL readers comprehend a hypertext better than a print text?</p> <p>Keeping in mind the fact that a majority of readers reading online texts in English can be hindered by three types of comprehension deficits – low levels of language proficiency, non-availability of prior knowledge, or both – this study investigated how two characteristic features of hypertext, viz., linking to additional information and non-linearity in presentation of information, affect reading comprehension of ESL readers. </p> <p>Two types of texts that occur in the electronic medium – linear or pre-structured texts and non-linear or self-navigating texts, were used in this study. Based on a comparison of subjects’ comprehension outcomes and free recalls, text factors and reader factors that can influence hypertext reading comprehension of ESL readers are identified. </p> Contradictory to what many researchers believe, results indicate that self-navigating hypertexts might not promote deep comprehension in all ESL readers.

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