Motivational Changes in an English Foreign Language Online Reading Context

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 715-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Chou Huang
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Online Reading ◽  
Motivation To Read ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
College Reading ◽  
Reading Context ◽  
Motivational Changes ◽  
Positive Effect

This study investigated how reading online affects English foreign language (EFL) learners' motivation to read all-English texts. Two classes of intermediate Taiwanese EFL learners in a college reading course participated. Each student read one online story every week during the semester-long experiment. A pre- and postreading motivation questionnaire, adapted from Mori's study, was administered to ascertain students' motivational changes. Results from a t test showed that reading using an e-book had a positive effect on students' motivations for reading in terms of several dimensions: reading efficacy, challenge, curiosity, involvement, reading for grades, and integrative orientation. Analysis of variance results showed that female students in the low-proficiency group were significantly more positive about the motivational effects of online reading than were low-proficiency male students.

scholarly journals EFL Learners’ Attitude towards Developing Speaking Skills at the University of Taif, Saudi Arabia

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 318
Author(s):  
Abdul Fattah Soomro ◽  
Muhammad Umar Farooq
Keyword(s):  
Female Students ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The University ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Speaking Skills

Speaking is the most difficult as well as the most complex of all the four skills, as it requires expertise in, and exposure to, the target language. Different factors are found responsible for poor speaking skills among EFL learners in general and Saudi EFL learners in particular. The current study investigates the influence of various factors related to teachers, learners, and learning environment on the students’ attitude towards learning speaking skills. The questionnaire survey was employed to elicit responses from 184 undergraduate EFL male and female students in Taif University. Data analyzed through SPSS reveals that out of five variables only one was insignificant, whereas all other variables showed significant positive effect. In the light of the findings, it could be inferred that lack of measures on the part of teachers and learners as well as the classroom setting/environment do not fully facilitate both the male and female students to learn speaking skills in a better way. The poor level of their skills in English is attributed to the variety of teachers’, learners’, and environment related factors. And these factors affect negatively on the attitude of learners towards learning speaking skills.

scholarly journals Effect of Foreign Language Anxiety on Gender and Academic Achievement among Yemeni University EFL Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Norizan Abdul Razak ◽  
Amr Abdullatif Yassin ◽  
Tengku Nor Rizan Bt Tengku Mohamad Maasum
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
English Department ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Department Faculty

This study aimed to investigate the gender differences in terms of anxiety among Yemeni university EFL learners. It also aimed to investigate the correlation between the level of anxiety and the academic achievement of the students. The participants of this study were 155 students chosen from the population through stratified random sampling. The participants are selected from English Department, Faculty of Arts, Ibb University, Yemen. The data was collected by using a questionnaire adopted from Yassin (2015), and the data was analysed by using 22nd version of the SPSS. The data of the first question was analysed by using T-test and the result of the analysis showed that the females experienced higher level of anxiety than male students, but the difference between both groups is not significant. The second question was analysed by using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and the result showed that there is not significant correlation between the level of anxiety and the academic achievement of the students.

scholarly journals Male and Female Students’ Preferences on the Oral Corrective Feedback in English as Foreign Language (EFL) Speaking Classroom

Humaniora ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Zaky Dzulhiza Hawin Amalia ◽  
Endang Fauziati ◽  
Sri Marmanto
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Metalinguistic Feedback ◽  
Oral Corrective Feedback ◽  
Clarification Request

This research aimed at investigating the male and female students’ preferences on the six types of Oral Corrective Feedback (OCF). This qualitative research used observation and interview to collect data. The observation was done to know the practice of the six types of OCF in speaking class and the interview was conducted to reveal the students’ preferences for OCF. The result from the observation shows that the lecturer mostly uses Explicit Correction to correct the students’ error. Then, the result from the interview indicates that male students prefer to have Explicit Correction because this type is the easiest type to know the error and correction clearly. Whereas the female students prefer to have Recast and Metalinguistic Feedback because Recast does not encourage them and Metalinguistic Feedback can make them think critically under the lecturer’s clue. Subsequently, both male and female students perceive Clarification Request and Repetition as the ambiguous type to grasp what the lecturer’s mean. The result of this current research is expected to provide an additional information about the practice of OCF strategies in speaking classroom which is appropriate with the students’ preferences.

scholarly journals LISTENING DIFFICULTIES FACED BY THE FIRST SEMESTER STUDENTS AT BASIC LISTENING CLASS

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-61
Author(s):  
Yahmun Yahmun ◽  
Endang Sumarti ◽  
Debi Setyowati
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Private University ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Male Students ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Spoken Text

This study aimed at describing difficulties faced by students in learning Listening. This study involved seventeen female students and eight male students taking Basic Listening course in one of private university in Malang, East Java. To gain the data, the researcher interviewed the subjects one by one. The findings, then, classified into several classes by referring to previous studies discussing listening difficulties in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classes. The findings showed that there were four difficulties faced by the students. They were the speed and length of the spoken text, vocabulary, pronunciation, and accents. Based on the findings, then, the researchers made several suggestions for further researchers and other language teachers to consider this study in their practice.

scholarly journals Attitudes of Saudi EFL Female Students Towards Current Teacher Feedback Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Khaled Aldossary
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Quantitative Approach ◽  
Teacher Feedback ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Current Practices

This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of female Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) learners towards the current practices and the challenges of teacher feedback. Utilizing a quantitative approach, 87 female Saudi EFL students completed a questionnaire about their experience with teacher feedback and the problems they encountered with this during the semester. The study aimed to explore two main aspects, including the students’ attitudes towards the current practices of teacher feedback and the challenges encountered, and the students’ suggestions for improving teacher feedback practices. The study outcomes revealed that the students receive direct and positive feedback. Additionally, the students perceived the teachers’ feedback to be useful and of good quality. The findings also indicated that students expect and prefer detailed feedback on their written tasks. However, the participants reported some concerns regarding the punctuality of teacher feedback and provided suggestions to improve such practices. The study also presents the limitations and recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals The Effects of Audio Comedy Test on Listening Comprehension Skills of EFL Learners

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Anton Subarno ◽  
Wen-Fu Pan ◽  
Mei-Ying Chien
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Practice Tests ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
English Listening Test ◽  
Senior Students

<p class="Abstract"><em>This study aims to investigate the effects of audio comedy on English listening comprehension test results of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The English listening test comprises four sections; each section has a seven-minute comedy audio mode and 13 questions, and participants listen to the four sections successively. This study was conducted with 117 sophomore, junior and senior students at Sebelas Maret University in Indonesia. Two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was adopted to distinguish between male and female students on the four successive test sections measuring English listening comprehension skills. The findings are: 1. Successive practice tests will stimulate English listening skills; and 2. Successive practice tests will improve students’ English listening skills. The comedy audio mode creates a low-stress English listening atmosphere and reduces the learner’s anxiety.</em></p>

scholarly journals Classroom enjoyment and anxiety among Saudi undergraduate EFL students: does gender matter?

2021 ◽  
pp. 9-34
Author(s):  
Elias Bensalem
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Recent Interest ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Relationship

The current study was motivated by recent interest in the effect of positive and negative emotions in the context of foreign language learning resulting from the rise of the positive psychology movement (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2016; MacIntyre & Mercer, 2014). It examines the construct of foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and its relationship with foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) among a group of 487 English as a foreign language (EFL) students (340 females, 147 males) enrolled in public universities in Saudi Arabia. A measure of FLE based on Likert scale ratings of ten items (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), and a measure of FLCA based on eight items extracted from the FLCAS (Horwitz et al., 1986) were used. Male and female students had the same levels of FLE and FLCA. Correlation analysis showed that the relationship between students’ FLE and FLCA was significantly negative. Qualitative analysis of the participants’ learning experiences revealed the causes of FLCA and FLE among Saudi EFL learners.

Consecutive interpreting performance. Women and men compared

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-306
Author(s):  
Agostina Verdini
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Figurative Language ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Medical Field ◽  
Idiomatic Expressions ◽  
Consecutive Interpreting

Abstract Why are there so few male students attending the SSLMIT (Advanced School of Modern Languages for Interpreters and Translators) in Forlì? Why are interpreters generally women? Is there a biological or social explanation linked to gender differences in speaking abilities? This study is intended to provide an experimental analysis of possible differences and similarities between male and female students of interpretation. On the basis of the theories put forward by Gender Studies and a series of neuro-linguistic investigations on simultaneous interpreters, it seems that women and men in fact differ in the way they speak, communicate and also in their practice of interpretation. For this study, the interpretation mode chosen is consecutive and the linguistic combination is from German into Italian; the sample is made up of 14 women and 14 men, whose first or second foreign language is German. The texts selected for the CI (Consecutive Interpreting) present different linguistic features, topic, reading pace and length. The first is a speech, which deals with economic-financial matters, shows a high density of numerical expressions and specific sectorial terms. The second text is an article about health, which presents a considerable number of idiomatic expressions and terms related to the medical field. The comparison between the deliveries made by the interpreters of both sexes and the analysis of the answers provided by the questionnaires handed out to the students show some remarkable gender differences. Overall, it seems that male interpreters perform better as far as numbers, dates, and economic vocabulary are concerned, while female interpreters are better at handling figurative language and words related to health. Consistent with this finding, women maintained a higher degree of fluency in the delivery of the second text, while men were more fluent in the first. Although these results do not claim to be of statistical significance, they show that differences related to sex may have an impact on the performance of interpreters.

scholarly journals Quizzes in Every Other Session Improve Undergraduate EFL Learners' Pronunciation Achievement

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Ghorbani
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Training Program ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
And Control ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Experimental Group

The proponents of frequent quizzes claim that they stimulate students and have a positive effect on their learning, while the opponents argue that too frequent quizzes might frustrate students and hinder their learning. This study examined the effect of frequent quizzes on Iranian undergraduate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ pronunciation achievement. The nonequivalent group, pretest-posttest design was employed to study two classes of English literature and English teaching students, who were taking the Phonology Course, at Kosar University of Bojnord (KUB) as the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG) respectively. Two 40-item pronunciation tests were developed based on the 3rd edition of the book Ship or Sheep written by Baker (2006). The reliability of the tests was estimated 0.78 and 0.81 respectively through KR-21 formula. After the pretest administration, both groups were exposed to the same activities; however, only the EG took the quizzes every other session. At the end of the training program, the pretests were rearranged and used as the posttests. The results of the independent samples t-tests from the posttests revealed that the EG had a better performance than the CG suggesting that EFL learners’ pronunciation achievement can improve if quizzes are used every other session.

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF SEX ON STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES: A CRITICAL REVIEW

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Niwayan Sukraini
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Language Learning Strategies ◽  
Learning Strategy Use ◽  
Young Students

Due to the importance of providing learning environment that suits the students’ preference in learning a language, many studies have been conducted on the learning strategies employed by the students. Doro and Habok (2013) investigated the learning strategies of Hungarian young students learning English as a foreign language. The instrument they used was the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) for adult. It was statistically found that the instrument was reliable and worked well with the young learners. Another result of the study was that meta-cognitive strategies were the most frequently used while compensation strategies were the least frequently employed by the students. The study also discovered that female students showed higher frequency of learning strategy use. I conducted a similar study on Indonesian young students and tried to compare the result. There will be, however, difference in the instrument to collect the data. After consulting an English teacher who teaches young students, I decided to use the modified SILL for Taiwanese children by Lan (2005). This is due to the consideration that Indonesian students might not be able to fill in the complex questionnaire as in the adult version of SILL.The findings show that Meta-cognitive strategies as the most preferred group of the six strategy categories have exactly the same means of both Doro and Habok’s and my studies i.e. 3.2 and female students appeared to use language learning strategies more frequently that male students.

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