scholarly journals Analysing Morphological Errors in ESL Graduating Students’ Writing based on Surface Structure Taxonomy

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Kamisah Ariffin ◽  
Norizul Azida Darus ◽  
Norhajawati Abdul Halim ◽  
Nurul Akmal Awang
Keyword(s):  
Surface Structure ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Standard Form ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Grammar Rules ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Graduating Students

Empirical studies have examined errors committed by ESL learners at different levels of study in terms of its inconsistency with the standard form of English grammar rules in general. This study, on the other hand, looked into the errors in the English morphological system of a language that deals with the minimal units of linguistic form and meaning. By understanding the errors from the morphological perspective, instructors may also be able to figure out the specific causal factors that can help devise their methods and approach to teaching. As the English language performance of the graduates in this country has been publicly lamented by employers, this study focused on the writing products of graduating students to see the common errors made and to understand the interfering factors so that any intervention initiatives to improve their English language proficiency can be objectively proposed. The data were procured from a mock writing exit test of 60 graduating students from a public university. The Theory Taxonomy of Dulay or Surface Structure Taxonomy framework was used for data analysis. The data were treated quantitatively in terms of frequency counts of errors occurred in each category. The findings indicate that the errors were prevalent in the Omission category, followed by Addition, Misformation and Misordering. This has significant pedagogical implications on developing intervention or remedial programmes for graduating students.

scholarly journals The validation of an L2 English listening self-efficacy instrument using Rasch analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Eric Shepherd Martin
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Rasch Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Second Year ◽  
L2 Listening ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Esl Learners

This paper details the development and validation of a listening self-efficacy instrument for EFL/ESL learners with beginner- to-intermediate-level English language proficiency. Self-efficacy, or the belief in one's ability to perform a task successfully, is believed to determine how likely individuals will be to cope with difficulties relating to the task domain (e.g., listening, speaking, reading, or writing), and to sustain their effort in spite of obstacles (Bandura, 1997). To date, few instruments have been developed to evaluate English L2 listening self-efficacy. The instrument presented here was distributed among a sample of first- and second-year Japanese university students (N = 121), and, unlike most previously developed questionnaires, was validated through the use of Rasch analysis. The results of the administration of the questionnaire showed that learners' responses differed predictably and considerably, thereby suggesting the utility of the instrument for future use by EFL/ESL practitioners.

scholarly journals THE AFFORDANCES OF THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM APPROACH IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR INSTRUCTION

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (33) ◽  
pp. 95-106
Author(s):  
Huu Anh Vuong Nguyen ◽  
Choon Keong Tan ◽  
Kean Wah Lee
Keyword(s):  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
English Language ◽  
Potential Method ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Grammar Instruction ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Grammar Rules

Recently, the flipped classroom instructional approach has received much attention from teachers of different subjects around the world. This new pedagogical model has been reported to be a potential method in the area of EFL teaching. In Vietnam, teaching English grammar has mainly focused on students’ acquisition of grammar rules without much practical application in real communicative situations. This case study aims at investigating the affordances perceived by students in a flipped English grammar class in order to help language teachers to harness the approach to enhance their students’ learning. The qualitative research design was adopted in the study. Thirty-four students majoring in the English language at a university in Vietnam attended a 10-week flipped grammar class. The instruments include semi-structured interviews with ten students randomly selected from the participants. Thematic analysis was performed to address the qualitative data drawing on the Activity Theory framework. Twelve affordances of the flipped classroom approach in English grammar instruction such as being self-paced in learning, offering opportunities to voice opinions, saving time for in-class communicative activities and facilitating learning English grammar communicatively were identified. The results of the study offer valuable implications for the application of this model in teaching English as a foreign language, especially in the context of Vietnam.

Learning English grammar with a corpus: Experimenting with concordancing in a university grammar course

ReCALL ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Estling Vannestål ◽  
Hans Lindquist
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Peer Teaching ◽  
Important Conclusion ◽  
Knowing How ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Grammar Teaching ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Grammar Rules ◽  
Students Attitudes

AbstractCorpora have been used for pedagogical purposes for more than two decades but empirical studies are relatively rare, particularly in the context of grammar teaching. The present study focuses on students' attitudes towards grammar and how these attitudes are affected by the introduction of concordancing. The principal aims of the project were to increase the students' motivation by showing them that English grammar is more than a set of rules in a book and to enable them to assume more responsibility for their own learning. The idea was to introduce the use of language corpora into the curriculum for first-semester English at Växjö University in Sweden, as a complement to grammar textbooks and ordinary exercise materials. Between classes, the students worked with problem-solving assignments that involved formulating their own grammar rules based on the examples they found in the corpus. In the classroom, a system of peer teaching was applied, where the students took turns at explaining grammatical rules to each other. Besides presenting a new way of working with grammar, we also provided the students with a tool for checking questions of usage when writing English texts in the future, since the corpus we use is free of charge and available to all. The work with corpora and peer teaching was evaluated by means of questionnaires and interviews. This article describes and evaluates this initiative and presents insights gained in the process. One important conclusion is that using corpora with students requires a large amount of introduction and support. It takes time and practice to get students to become independent corpus users, knowing how to formulate relevant corpus queries and interpret the results. Working with corpora is a method that some students appreciate while others, especially weak students, find it difficult or boring. Several of the students did not find corpora very useful for learning about grammatical rules, but realized the potential of using corpora when writing texts in English.

scholarly journals Empirical studies on foreign language learning and teaching in China (2008–2011): A review of selected research

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuesong (Andy) Gao ◽  
Yanyi Liao ◽  
Yuxia Li
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Research Scholarship ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

In this review, we highlight 60 articles from 1,120 empirical studies in leading language learning and teaching journals published on the Chinese mainland during the years 2008–2011. In preparing the review, we have found Chinese researchers addressing a wide range of topics including language learners’ cognitive processes, their language performance, and language teachers’ professional development. The selected studies document a variety of approaches to improving the teaching of the English language and meeting the demand for proficient English graduates in China. In addition, we have observed that leading Chinese journals have become more receptive to empirical studies and have published an increasing number of qualitative and mixed method studies. However, we also note that research scholarship in those journals is still beset with problems and there is a pressing need for our Chinese colleagues to become ‘discerning’ producers of scholarship. For this reason, we conclude this review with recommendations to Chinese journals, to help them play an even more significant role in promoting high quality empirical research in the future.

scholarly journals The Importance of Getting Automated Grammar Feedback via Grammarly, for Increasing Students' English Language Proficiency

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stefanus Soegiyarto ◽  
Radya Ayufa Putri ◽  
Samiaji Dwi Saputra
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Significant Part ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Grammar Rules ◽  
To Receive

In the last decade, technology has played a significant part in human civilization. One example of technological advancement is the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for learning. One digital application, namely Grammarly, is an AI tool used to edit sentences to eliminate grammar errors and deliver conciseness and engagement for the readers. We conducted research involving Indonesian university students, in which they do not possess English as a native language. Using this application to receive feedback and help with learning writing in English, we hope to find out how Grammarly as an AI tool for learning has a significant effect on English proficiency. The results showed that Grammarly had helped them form English sentences, learn grammar rules, and improve their writing performance overall.

scholarly journals Is Grammar Still Important Learning the English Language on Tertiary Level? The Analysis of Students’ Attitude

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Ramunė Vitalija Ilgūnaitienė
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Grammar Teaching ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Motivation For Learning ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
Interest And Motivation ◽  
Insight Into

Lecturers of Vytautas Magnus University Institute of Foreign Languages have noticed that students’ English grammar comprehension as well as their interest and motivation for learning it have dropped significantly. It was decided to carry out the research and find the answers to the topical questions. Do students thoroughly understand the importance of grammar in language acquisition context? What are the factors predisposing the diminishing value of grammar? What is the students’ insight into the grammar teaching/ learning process in level C1? The questionnaire was compiled and on the basis of a comparative – quantitative method the conclusions were drawn that students do not think that grammar plays an important role in learning the English language, they suppose that their grammar competence is sufficient to be fluent in English, thus, there is no need to continue learning grammar in level C1. If we do not make an attempt to solve this problem, it might lead to a dangerous outcome- the level of the English language proficiency may fall down drastically.

scholarly journals The Professional Development of English Language Teachers in Colombia: A Review of the Literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (21) ◽  
pp. 89-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ximena Paola Buendia ◽  
Diego Fernando Macías
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
English Language Teachers

This article offers a review of 25 empirical studies to identify the areas and findings of professional development initiatives for in-service English teachers in Colombia. The reviewed studies suggest that language teacher professional development has focused on six major areas: language proficiency, research skills and reflective practice, teachers’ beliefs and identities, an integrated approach to teacher professional development, pedagogical skills and teaching approaches, and emerging technologies. Results suggest that there is a need to move from traditional master-apprentice, content-oriented, teacher-centered models of professional development towards initiatives that allow teachers to critically analyze their particular context and needs, and devise their own local alternatives so that they can become more active agents of their own process of change. Issues that constitute possible alternatives for future research in the professional development of English language teachers are discussed.

scholarly journals Improving ESL Learners’ Grammar with Gamified-Learning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harwati Hashim ◽  
Karmila Rafiqah M. Rafiq ◽  
Melor Md Yunus
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Language Games ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Gamified Learning ◽  
Teaching Grammar ◽  
Esl Learners

Aligning with the Industrial Revolution 4.0, an abundance of high-tech inventions has embarked their pavements in the educational field. Despite being under the 21st-century umbrella, the English language proficiency of Asian learners is still a few steps behind. Undeniably, most of the English as a Second Language (ESL) learners in Asian countries face challenges in learning ESL grammar. Grammar has been an intricate component to master due to its nature of complexity. This study aimed at exploring the effectiveness of using online language games in improving ESL learners' grammar. A total of 30 students in a secondary school were involved in this research. The research design of the quasi-experimental method was used, employing the pre and post-test. Data were analyzed using percentages to compare the results after three interventions of gamified-learning known as Socrative, PowerPoint Challenge Game, and Kahoot! The main findings indicated that learners’ scores on the grammar post-test showed a significant increase from the pre-test. The improvements can be seen in the grading system, whereby, no participant obtained a grade D and E in the post-test as compared to the pre-test. Hence, the results depicted that gamified-learning is effective in teaching grammar to ESL learners.

scholarly journals Variability in ESL Outcomes: The Influence of Age on Arrival and Length of Residence on Achievement in High School

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hetty Roessingh
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Achievement Outcomes ◽  
Academic Language Proficiency ◽  
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency ◽  
Standardized Measure ◽  
Esl Learners

This article integrates findings from earlier research (Roessingh and Kover, 2003; Roessingh, Kover, and Watt, 2005) linking distinct patterns of achievement for diverse age-on-arrival (AOA) cohorts of ESL learners on the grade 12 Alberta English language arts (ELA) examination to their vocabulary and reading comprehension scores on a standardized measure over time. Recasting the data and conducting simple statistical procedures can offer further insights into the features of cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP): the relationship between vocabulary development and academic performance. I consider ESL program effects and the connection between age on arrival, vocabulary size, and achievement outcomes as reflected on the ELA examination. I compare the ESL students' scores with those of a random sample of their native-speaking (NS) academic counterparts to note patterns among the various cohorts of learners. The results suggest that measures of language proficiency (e.g., vocabulary) can be used to gain direct insights into students' academic achievement. This work has important implications for the development of theoretical growth models that would establish language-learning trajectories of good ESL progress for varied AOA and lengths of residence (LOR) fitted against a NS trajectory.

scholarly journals Adjunct Support for High School ESL Learners in Mainstream English Classes: Ensuring Success

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hetty Roessingh
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Literature ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
High School English ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Esl Instruction ◽  
Esl Learners

The demographic profile of Alberta is changing rapidly. As the new millennium approaches, new patterns of immigration to Canada, and hence Alberta, are emerging and are forcing educators to rethink the goals of ESL instruction. The current wave of immigrants has expectations for academic success. Educational attention must be focused on programmatic responses that will ensure that ESL learners develop the level of English language proficiency necessary for academic success in high school and post-secondary study. Adjunct ESL instruction that complements the demands of high school English literature courses can result in the development of English language proficiency, and in turn academic success for ESL learners.

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