scholarly journals Usefulness and Learnability in Teaching Vocabulary to ESL/EFL Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Shanjida Halim ◽  
Tanzina Halim

<p><em>It is known that vocabulary is a must in teaching English Language because without a sound knowledge of vocabulary students are not able to understand others or express their own ideas. Although vocabulary deals with words, yet vocabulary is much more than just single words. Therefore, vocabulary can be defined as</em><em> “</em><em>the words of a language, including single items and phrases or chunks of several words which convey a particular meaning, the way individual words do</em><em>”.</em><em> Vocabulary is so important that Wilkins (1972</em><em>, p.</em><em> 111) said:</em><em> </em><em>“Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed</em><em>”.</em></p><em>Innumerable ways of presenting and teaching vocabulary are there, but this paper is going to focus on the ways briefly without any detailed explanation of those ways because most of the ESL/EFL teachers are already aware of those strategies. What our paper aims to focus is that selection of vocabulary is very important for the learners if a useful vocabulary is to be built up quickly. As teachers of vocabulary, we know, or we must know why we should teach certain items to our learners and not others. In teaching vocabulary to learners there are two general criteria: usefulness and learnability which this paper is going to discuss in detail, and it will also show why selecting what to teach, based on usefulness and learnability, according to the needs of the students, is essential.</em>

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Aziza M. Ali ◽  
Abu Bakar Razali

Being able to read well is important for English language learners. Through the process of reading, the learner becomes an active participant in producing an interaction with the writer of the text through predicting, analyzing, summarizing and using other types of reading strategies. However, building such a connection between the reader and the written information of the text is complex and for English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) students, it can be quite difficult for them to apply different types of reading strategies. This article provides a review of literature on 27 studies on the teaching of reading strategies (particularly cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies) for ESL/EFL learners, which reveals that ESL/EFL teachers need to keep updating their teaching methods to meet the ESL/EFL students&rsquo; needs, particularly in the use of correct reading strategies. The authors also highlight some of the main issues that prevent ESL/EFL students from improving and developing their reading comprehension. Furthermore, the authors discuss and conclude the article by suggesting to ESL/EFL teachers some teaching strategies to be applied in the reading lesson to improve the ESL/EFL students&rsquo; use of reading strategies.


Author(s):  
Elena Anatol'evna Balygina ◽  
Yuliya Vladimirovna Yarovikova ◽  
Tat'yana Viktorovna Ermolova ◽  
Oksana Aleksandrovna Krukovskaya

Multiple scientific works are dedicated to studying the impact of linguistic factors upon the translation process. However, relevant remains the task of determining dependence of the translation strategy on the peculiarities of semantic development and functionality of terminological units. This article examines the functional-semantic aspects of translation of the adjective-substantive terminological phrases of English language that reflects the scientific notions of psychology. An attempt is made to develop the methods for translating terminological phrases that would consider syntagmatic aspects of interaction of the meanings of its components. Attention is focused on determination of the impact of peculiarities of terminological meaning of terminological phrase upon the choice of its conveying in translation. A conclusion is made that the translation process of terminological phrases from English to Russian are influenced by such factors, as the level of semantic closeness of terminological phrases and communicative significance of its adjective component. In conclusion, the author discusses strategies of selection of the way of translation of terminological phrases, taking into account the aforementioned factors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Gaston

Media literacy education is a field that is fraught with disagreement over definitions, approaches, principles, and purposes, but teaching media literacy is arguably needed now more than ever before, especially for ESL and EFL students. From the research available, it appears as though many ESL and EFL students are not taught media literacy in their home countries. Additionally, much of the research that does exist in regards to teaching media literacy to ESL and EFL students focuses on forms of media that are no longer relevant to most learners. Since ESL and EFL teachers support the development of their students’ English-language skills, it is justifiable that at least some of the responsibility of media literacy education should fall on their shoulders. The widespread transition to virtual learning as a result of COVID-19 presents a unique opportunity for ESL and EFL teachers to teach media literacy to their students. However, because this period also presents numerous challenges to the public’s collective media literacy skills, it is imperative that teachers integrate media literacy education into their pedagogy. Keywords: media literacy, ESL, EFL, COVID-19


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 110-116
Author(s):  
Sagar Poudel

Teaching English without any instructional materials may be difficult or even impossible. There are lots of materials which facilitate both the teachers and students in language teaching and learning. As with other teaching materials and resources, journal articles are also an important source for language teaching. Taking this into account, this article tries to explore how EFL teachers perceive the value of journal articles and how they use them in their classrooms. More specifically, the article tries to explore whether and to what extent journal articles can be used as instructional materials, and what strategies teachers employ to use journals articles to enhance language proficiency of their students.Journal of NELTA ,  Vol. 22, No. 1-2, 2017 December, Page: 110-116


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
Baderaddin Yassin ◽  
Hadeel Saed

The purpose of this study is to shed light on Young Adult literature (YAL) in Jordan. Eleven English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and 62 EFL students in Jordanian public schools participated in this research to first measure their awareness of the YAL and to evaluate the academic benefits of integrating English YA literature into the Jordanian public school curricula. A group of EFL instructors and EFL learners were interviewed using a semi-structured guide. The instructors' interview questions focused on demographics, definitions of YA literature, age classification of YAL, benefits, and challenges of using YA novel in Jordanian English curricula. Questions for the learners centered on demographics, definition and age classification of YAL, and the use of YA novels in the EFL classroom. The study revealed that EFL teachers' reliance on the official curriculum tends to remove innovation and creativity from their teaching and limit their opportunities to adapt the curricula to the competence and interest of their EFL students. The research also revealed that EFL students who read English YA novels developed necessary competencies in both the English language and daily life experiences. The results showed that most EFL teachers in this research paper asserted that English YA novels positively affected EFL students in Jordan. This effect led to increased motivation and engagement in EFL classrooms.   Received: 27 January 2021 / Accepted: 8 April 2021 / Published: 10 May 2021


Author(s):  
Muhammad Ishtiaq ◽  
Muhammad Sabboor Hussain

This study aims at investigating the teachers’ practices and perceptions in teaching English in Saudi Arabia by viewing their stance on Cooperative Learning (CL) — an innovative teaching approach proposed to raise the language proficiency level of adult EFL learners. The study has been conducted in Qassim University, Saudi Arabia—a vibrant and flourishing EFL context. A quantitative tool (a questionnaire) has been used to collect data and to serve qualitative purposes. It reports 80 EFL teachers’ (40 males and 40 females) perceptions about CL using a 17-items comprehensive survey covering all the possible barriers in the way of implementing CL strategies in EFL classes. The survey items also explore how the EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia foresee the implications of making such an innovative move in their classes. The responses have been analyzed on a 5-point Likert scale which ranges from strongly disagree-disagree-neutral-agree-strongly agree. Major findings are that CL strategies have practical barriers but their implications are far more positive. The barriers are mainly due to the wrong learning habits of the adult EFL learners in Qassim University and lack of will and vision of the educational administration. The study recommends that CL strategies need to be given due consideration and support by the administrators and policy makers to raise the proficiency level of adult EFL learners. The study also allays the misconception that majority of the practitioners in English language teaching field are not ready to practice and implement CL strategies in their classes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 132
Author(s):  
Seemeen Rana ◽  
Raja Zubair

This study was carried out to explore the assessment practice in Saudi universities with the major focus on Continuous Assessment Strategies. The study specifically aimed to find out the different assessment strategies and their contribution to students&rsquo; learning and performance. It was conducted in Jubail University College and Al Mustaqbal University involving a sample of one hundred and fifty students and forty five teachers. Data was collected qualitatively and quantitatively using students&rsquo; academic records and questionnaires. From the findings, it was observed that the use of continuous assessment helps students to understand difficult areas related to the EFL content. The study revealed that although there are various kinds of continuous assessment strategies, EFL teachers at both the universities generally employed take-home assignments, written tests and recap exercises to assess how the EFL students learn English language. Continuous assessment also provides more confidence to students and prepares them for final examinations. Therefore, it was recommended that the competent EFL teachers, who are trained and knowledgeable about evaluation strategies and procedures, should be motivated to share their expertise in order to improve the performance of Saudi EFL university students.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeinab Kafi ◽  
Khalil Motallebzadeh

The present study aimed at examining the relationship between EFL teachers� effective teaching and the language learning motivation of Iranian EFL learners whose English proficiency was upper-intermediate and above. To this end, 150 upper-intermediate and advance EFL students, from some language schools in Mashhad, Iran participated in the study. The participants were firstly asked to fill out a researcher made questionnaire which aimed at checking their opinions on how effective they considered their teachers in teaching (Effective Teaching Questionnaire). Afterwards, the same students were asked to fill out a questionnaire that investigated how much motivated they were for learning English (Language Learning Motivation Questionnaire). These questionnaires were validated by two experts in the field, also their reliability, using Cronbach's Alpha, was estimated to be .87 and .80 respectively. Afterwards the relation between teachers� effectiveness in teaching and the extent to which students were motivated as a result was investigated. For measuring the probable relation, correlation as well as multiple regressions was run for analysis of the obtained data. The results exhibited the existence of a positive relation between the two.Keywords: Effective teaching, motivation, EFL learners, EFL teachers


Author(s):  
Fendik Wahyoe Saputro ◽  
Sulistyani Sulistyani

The use of authentic materials is important in teaching EFL students due to its real life English language usage. For this reason, this article discusses the way how to use TV commercials as an authentic materials in teaching one of the skills in English, that is listening. This article serves several materials, activities, and steps of how we implement the usage of TV commercials as authentic materials to improve listening ablity of the students. These materials, activities and steps is aimed to encourage and to give the real life usage of English, so the students can implement it in their daily communication abroad. These strategies was collected through several articles reading and experts in EFL teaching. It is known that both EFL teachers and students have much to gain from TV commercials. TV commercials have visual, verbal and written images, interesting vocabulary and cultural features, and help students to improve their listening skills and to speak English in a more natural way.  Keywords:  TV commercials, authentic materials, teaching listening


2021 ◽  
pp. 50-56

This study aimed to explore Sudanese EFL undergraduate students’ level and kinds of motivation towards learning English as a Foreign Language. Simple random sampling technique was used to select (25) firs-year students drawn exclusively from the English Language Department, at College of Languages, in University of Bahri. A questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. The data was then analysed using statistical package for social science (SPSS). The researcher adopted the descriptive analytical method to interpret the data obtained from the above mentioned instrument. The findings revealed that most of Sudanese EFL students have extrinsic orientation towards English language learning. Therefore, the study recommended that EFL teachers should incorporate authentic teaching materials and content into their lecture plans to supplement and enhance textbook units and topics to encourage internal motivation in students and help them achieve their goals.


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