scholarly journals EFL LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR ENGLISH SPEAKING PERFORMANCE

LITERA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Mahripah
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Performance ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Students Attitudes

This study aims to describe EFL learners’ attitudes towards the improvement of their English speaking performance. The data were collected through a questionnaire distributed to 131 students of Department of English Language Education. The results of the dataanalysis show that all respondents show positive attitudes towards the improvement of their English speaking performance. Although female students have more positive attitudes than male students, the difference is not significant. The results also show that students’ attitudes towards their speaking performance change in accordance with their learning time. Their self-assessment of their speaking performance has a significant correlation with their attitudes. Their positive attitudes towards the improvement of their English speaking performance serve as a foundation to the success of the English language learning. Therefore, learners should pay attention to and maintain attitudes to improve their speaking performance.

scholarly journals The Students’ Attitudes towards the NESTs versus NNESTs and their Impacts on the Students’ Motivations to Learn English Language at KAU

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Haneen Saad Al Muabdi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
English Language ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
King Abdulaziz University ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers ◽  
The Impact

Motivation is one of the crucial aspects of second language acquisition. Students’ motivation can be influenced by their teachers. The present study aims to investigate the impact of the two types of teachers on EFL learners’ motivations to learn English. These are NESTs (Native English-speaking teachers) and NNESTs (native English-speaking teachers). Hence, it examines learners’ attitudes and perceptions towards the two types of teachers. This study employed a mixed method by distributing a questionnaire contains quantitative and qualitative tools. It consists of twenty items of Likert scales and two open-ended questions. The present study subjects are 31 female students at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The results of the study demonstrate that learners have a positive attitude toward NESTs and NNESTs. Despite that, the tendency to learn with NNESTs is higher than NESTs. The findings also show that both types of teachers motivate students to learn English. Moreover, it suggests that the methodology and teachers’ personalities are more important than the teachers’ nativeness.

Exploring EFL Learners' Preferences, Perceived Needs, and Perceptions about Language Learning Strategies

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1128
Author(s):  
Maryam Alsadat Mortazavi ◽  
Hamed Barjesteh
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

This study was to investigate the impact of language experience and academic level on the perceived needs of Iranian undergraduate EFL learners. Two groups of Iranian TEFL female students (freshmen and senior) were compared regarding their preferences, perceived needs and perceptions of different activity types about language learning. To collect data, Sihong's (2007) needs analysis questionnaire for English language needs was utilized. Thirty two freshman and twenty nine senior MA students with the age range of 25-35 were considered as the subject of this study. They were asked to fill out the questionnaire through email and they were given the confidence that the collected data would remain anonymous. Results revealed that there was a significant difference between freshman and senior EFL learners in their preferences, needs and opinions about various types of activities, and various aspects of language education. The findings also revealed that freshmen students required more practice in grammar and pronunciation than vocabulary for them. The most difficult components of language were pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar respectively; however, the senior students reported that vocabulary and grammar were the most difficult component of language skill and pronunciation was the least one.

scholarly journals Teaching English Speaking Online versus Face-to-Face: Saudi Students’ Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Abdulrahman Alzamil
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Face To Face Learning ◽  
Students Attitudes

In March 2020, schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were suspended. Online learning became a substitute for traditional face-to-face learning. This study addresses the implications of this shift for the attitudes of university-level English majored Saudi students taking a listening and speaking course. The study investigated the students’ attitudes towards: a) the importance of speaking in English; b) teachers use of emails to communicate their feedback on students’ English-speaking tasks; c) online teaching of English speaking; and d) online learning and teaching of the English language. The data collection tool was a 21-item questionnaire. The participants were 18 second-year male Saudi students who were studying English at a Saudi university. The findings showed that the participants: a) had positive attitudes towards the importance of speaking English; b) appreciated the benefits that online learning offers, but felt it could not replace face-to-face learning.

scholarly journals Investigation of Factors Influencing Speaking Performance of Saudi EFL Learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 66-77
Author(s):  
Saleh Alrasheedi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
English Language ◽  
Peer Pressure ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Affective Factors ◽  
Speaking Performance ◽  
Speaking Skills

Equal focus needs be placed on teaching all four basic skills of language learning: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. However, it is observed that due attention is not devoted to developing speaking skills in Saudi EFL learners; this task is especially challenging as English is not widely used or spoken in their day-to-day communication. The current study aims to investigate the psychological factors which affect learners’ speaking performance by: (a) examining the strategies learners use for developing speaking skills, (b) identifying obstacles confronted by learners in developing speaking skills, and (c) suggesting ways to facilitate the acquisition of English speaking skills. The research seeks answers to these questions: (1) What are some psychological factors affecting speaking skills of students? (2) Why do learners find speaking in English so difficult? . I distributed a questionnaire among 200 female and male participants majoring in various fields at Majmaah university in Saudi Arabia. I employed SPSS to analyze the accumulated data and displayed the results in descriptive tables. The results reveal that affective factors impacting students’ performance in speaking skills are shyness, peer pressure, anxiety, and fear of making mistakes. Other factors that hinder speaking performance are paucity of necessary vocabulary, lack of exposure to the target language, and scarce opportunities to practice speaking outside the classroom. The study contributes to the existing English language learning (ELL) literature through its focus on the affective factors impacting speaking performance in Arabic-speaking EFL learners.

Translanguaging Theory and Practice: How Stakeholders Perceive Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language

RELC Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 003368822093922
Author(s):  
Yang Liu ◽  
Fan Fang
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English Only ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Students First

This article explores the recent development of translanguaging from the perspective of multilingualism. This is in light of the multilingual turn in the field of foreign language teaching, particularly English language teaching (ELT), which challenges the fixed and traditional monolingual framework for foreign language education. In particular, this article reviews stakeholders’ attitudes towards the implementation of translanguaging in foreign language classroom settings. It is found that stakeholders generally hold positive attitudes towards translanguaging practices in various ELT contexts. This review highlights the importance of re-examining the significance of translanguaging in ELT practices, for example, by challenging the monolingual English-only language policy and recognizing students’ first language as a linguistic resource to facilitate language learning in both English language and content learning. The article concludes by offering some practical pedagogical implications for both policy makers and language practitioners.

scholarly journals How EFL Learners Maintain Motivational Factors and Positive Attitudes during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 277
Author(s):  
Reza Anggriyashati Adara ◽  
Novita Puspahaty
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Positive Attitudes

The present study aims to analyze how a group of EFL learners in Indonesia maintained their motivation and positive attitudes toward English learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The present study applied a qualitative study by conducting semi-structured interviews with ten respondents. The results suggest that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the respondents significantly. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, most respondents were demotivated but they were able to motivate themselves again by reminding themselves of the reasons they learned English in the first place. Those reasons are mostly dominated by extrinsic factors such as their need to get jobs, studying overseas and the benefits of mastering English for their future also motivated the respondents. However, some are still motivated to learn English because they are intrinsically motivated. The results suggest that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are needed to maintain learners' motivation and positive attitudes toward language learning. In addition, maintaining personal communication with students during tough times such as the Covid-19 pandemic seems important to be conducted by teachers. By keeping personal communication, teachers can help maintain students' motivation. Besides that, the findings of the present study indicate that the respondents used various methods to maintain their motivation such as using social media to learn English and constantly reminding themselves of their language learning goals. In regards to this, teachers should help students by integrating social media into the lessons and providing affirmations that remind students of the benefits of English language mastery.

scholarly journals Identity, Motivation and English Learning in a Japanese Context

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nooshin Goharimehr
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Influencing Factor ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
L2 Motivational Self System ◽  
Integrative Motivation

Founded upon motivation, identity and self theories, this qualitative case study explored the motivational self systemand identities of Japanese EFL learners and their influence on motivation and English language learning. Data wascollected through online surveys among 22 graduate and undergraduate university students. The survey resultsindicated high motivation, international orientation and positive attitudes toward English language learning. Thethematic analysis of students’ detailed responses to the open-ended questions showed a stronger instrumentalmotivation and lack of desire to join and identify with the English communities and culture. International orientationappeared to be a better measure of motivation as opposed to integrative motivation. Moreover, the learners hadinhibitory factors operating against English learning motivation and speaking practices such as anxiety and lowlinguistic self-confidence. Resistance to new cultural identities or identity conflicts resulted from different culturalcontexts show to be an influencing factor in L2 learning. In sum, combining Gardner’s views on motivation,Norton’s conceptions of identity and Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System together with qualitative approachesmight render a deeper understanding of motivational barriers of Japanese EFL learners.

scholarly journals Teaching English Speaking Online versus Face-to-Face: Saudi Students’ Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulrahman Alzamil
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Face To Face Learning ◽  
Students Attitudes

In March 2020, schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were suspended. Online learning became a substitute for traditional face-to-face learning. This study addresses the implications of this shift for the attitudes of university-level English majored Saudi students taking a listening and speaking course. The study investigated the students’ attitudes towards: a) the importance of speaking in English; b) teachers use of emails to communicate their feedback on students’ English-speaking tasks; c) online teaching of English speaking; and d) online learning and teaching of the English language. The data collection tool was a 21-item questionnaire. The participants were 18 second-year male Saudi students who were studying English at a Saudi university. The findings showed that the participants: a) had positive attitudes towards the importance of speaking English; b) appreciated the benefits that online learning offers, but felt it could not replace face-to-face learning.

scholarly journals Does Flipped Classroom Model Affect EFL Learners’ Anxiety in English Speaking Performance?

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (01) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Mohamad Yahya Abdullah ◽  
Supyan Hussin ◽  
Kemboja Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Performance

Learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) face various challenges which impede their efforts to achieve English proficiency, especially in speaking performance. In response, this study sets out to use the Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) as a teaching method to investigate the effective-ness of the FCM on EFL learners’ anxiety in English speaking performance. A mixed-methods research design was utilized whereby 27 Omani under-graduate students majoring in English as a foreign language at Buraimi Uni-versity College (BUC), Sultanate of Oman were selected purposively as the subjects of the study. The collected data involved the Anxiety in English Speaking Performance Questionnaire (AESPQ) that was distributed in three stages: pre, midway and post the implementation of FCM. Another set of da-ta was elicited in the focus group interviews and students’ reflective jour-nals. Findings indicated that after twelve weeks of using FCM, a considera-ble improvement occurred on EFL learners’ anxiety in English speaking per-formance across time. The results of the One-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences among the EFL learners’ levels of anxiety in speaking English, F (₂, ₅₂) = 111.492, P<0.001, η2= 0.811), and MANOVA results revealed that there was a significant difference between the four di-mensions of AESPQ over time (Wilks Lambda =0.017, F= 134.718, 2=0.983). FCM was found to be appropriate to all the students in this study since it satisfied their needs and suited their learning styles. Essentially, the findings reported in this research would contribute to advancing English language teaching, not only in instructional design but also in promoting EFL instructors to be more interested in using FCM.

scholarly journals EFL Learners’ Perspectives on the use of Smartphones in Higher Education Settings in Slovakia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rastislav Metruk
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Positive Attitudes

MALL (Mobile assisted language learning) affords new opportunities for EFL (English as a foreign language) learners and teachers. Research on MALL is still in its infancy in Slovakia, and this paper attempts to fill in this gap by examining students’ perception and attitudes towards the use of smartphones for the purposes of learning and practicing English. The target population of this study constituted of the Slovak university EFL learners whose major was Teacher Training of English Language and Literature (n = 77) at a Slovak university. The research method employed to achieve the objectives of this study was a 5‑point Likert scale questionnaire, comprising of two sets of statements: general and out‑of‑the‑classroom statements with a total of 29 items. The research results for both sets of statements imply that the participants display moderately positive attitudes towards smartphones in the context of EFL learning. However, the findings also reveal some issues surrounding the perception and potential use of smartphones such as the inability to plan students’ language learning appropriately and effectively, general underuse of smartphone apps, or problems related to practicing speaking skills. The results further suggest the immediate need to develop and enhance the awareness of smartphones and their potential in the process of teaching and learning English so that the EFL learners can utilize considerable opportunities these smart devices offer. Finally, the limitations of this study are recognized, and it is emphasized that conducting further research in this area is urgently needed.

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