scholarly journals Vocabulary Learning Autonomy and Vocabulary Size of Turkish ELT Student Teachers: A Correlational Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-110
Author(s):  
Galip Kartal ◽  
Özgül Balci

Abstract Introduction: In the related literature, knowledge of vocabulary is mentioned to be crucial as one of the crucial parts of language learning. Measuring learners’ vocabulary knowledge is regarded to be essential in that it provides both teachers and learners knowledge of the problematic areas and suggests some practical ways to improve the vocabulary learning process. It could be said that an autonomous learner is a leading actor in his own language learning process because, as stated by Nation (1998), learning is performed by the individual learner. Little (1995) asserts that learner autonomy should be set as an explicit goal in language learning contexts in that autonomy on the part of the learners plays a vital role in student success. So, we hypothesize that vocabulary learning autonomy has a significant influence on the learners’ vocabulary size. Methods: This study aims to investigate Turkish ELT student teachers’ vocabulary learning autonomy, vocabulary size, and the potential relationships between these two variables. Ninety-five student teachers in an ELT teacher education program at a university in Turkey participated in the study. The data were collected via two quantitative data collection instruments: Vocabulary Learning Autonomy (VLA) questionnaire and The Vocabulary Size Test (VST). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlations. As for the VST, the correct answers were counted, and an overall score was found. The participants’ scores were multiplied by 100 to get their total vocabulary size up to the 14th 1000 word-family level. As for the questionnaire, descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, standard deviation) were conducted. Results: The findings revealed that student teachers held a moderate level of vocabulary learning autonomy. The vocabulary size mean score was 77.14, which means that the participants had approximately enough vocabulary to deal with unsimplified written texts, and enough vocabulary to deal with unsimplified spoken texts. Additionally, there were significant and positive relationships between the responsibility and ability dimensions of the VLA scale. However, the findings revealed non-significant correlations among all the VLA’s dimensions and the vocabulary size. Discussion: The findings regarding the participants’ vocabulary learning autonomy showed that the participants held a moderate level of vocabulary learning autonomy. This finding is essential in that one of the most important goals of education is encouraging learners to work more independently both in and out of the classroom (Moir & Nation, 2002). There were significant and positive relationships between the responsibility and ability dimensions of the VLA scale. This finding, which is in line with Koller (2015), suggests that the participants feel capable of learning vocabulary items when they perceive themselves as responsible people instead of a teacher. Based on the results regarding vocabulary size, it is reasonable to conclude that the participants had approximately enough vocabulary for comprehension of unsimplified written texts and enough vocabulary for spoken texts based on Nation’s (2006) research reporting that learners need 8000 to 9000 word-family vocabulary for comprehension of unsimplified written texts and 6000 to 7000 word-family vocabulary for unsimplified spoken texts. Limitations: The research is limited to only first-year student teachers of English and the data consist of only quantitative data. Conclusion: The findings of the present study imply the need to foster vocabulary learning autonomy of learners in teacher education programs. Student teachers hold two identities as learners and teachers of the future. It is crucial to examine their readiness because there is a bulk of evidence in the literature that teachers’ readiness for autonomy affects their ability to foster their students’ autonomy. The findings of the present study imply the need to foster vocabulary learning autonomy and utilizing some strategies to improve vocabulary size.

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 218-223
Author(s):  
Ghada Alahmad

It is generally agreed in the field of Foreign Language Learning (FLL) that Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs) are a subcategory of the more general Language Learning Strategies (LLSs). Research into LLSs began based on the belief that language aptitude was not the only determinant factor of language achievement, and that the learners’ own learning effort and the way they approach language learning also played a major role. The purpose of this study is to investigate VLS use of Saudi female undergraduate EFL learners in each stage of the Vocabulary Learning Process (VLP) and its relation to their vocabulary size. The study population consisted of female students enrolled in the final year of the undergraduate English language program in an English department in a Saudi university. Forty-one students participated in this study, and two data collection instruments were used. The first instrument was a frequency of use questionnaire designed based on the learning process-oriented taxonomy of VLSs. The second was a Vocabulary Size Test. The analyses show that the participants used 17 strategies with a high frequency in all the stages of the VLP except for Stages Four and Six. The analyses also show that the most frequently used strategies were mainly cognitive strategies (nine strategies) and metacognitive strategies (five strategies). In terms of the relationship between the use of VLSs and vocabulary size, two strategies were found to be positively correlated with the participants’ vocabulary size. Interestingly, other strategies that are known to be effective in vocabulary learning were found to have a negative correlation with the participants’ vocabulary size.


Author(s):  
Liv Gjems ◽  
Ida Kornerup ◽  
Bente Vatne ◽  
Vibeke Schrøder

Few studies highlight the content of early childhood teacher education (ECTE) and examine the quality of knowledge acquired by future early childhood teachers. The current study concerns two questions. The first explores the goals of the national curricula in Danish and Norwegian ECTE concerning children’s language learning and early literacy. The second explores how satisfied Danish and Norwegian student teachers are with their own subjective learning outcomes related to the same themes. To answer the first question, data were collected through document analysis of the two countries’ national curricula. To answer the second question, data were collected through a survey handed out to student teachers in both countries at the end of their education. The survey contained questions about factual, procedural, and meta-knowledge areas. The survey participants comprised 199 Norwegian student teachers from three University Colleges and 90 Danish student teachers from three separate campuses at one University College. This study reveals that the Norwegian student teachers evaluated their subjective learning outcomes in the fields of language learning and early literacy more highly than Danish student teachers. Our research points to the fact that, compared to the Norwegian ECTE, the breadth of subjects in the Danish ECTE bachelor program tends to give lower subjective learning outcomes in these knowledge areas.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 66-79
Author(s):  
Siti Nursakina Baharudin

Students need to take control of their learning process by knowing when, where and how to use appropriate learning strategies for effective learning to take place. One of the language learning strategies learners need to take into consideration is vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) as vocabulary is one of the crucial elements that learners need to master in language learning. Vocabulary learning strategies if used effectively will help learners to master a wide range of vocabulary. This study aims to identify the types of VLS which are frequently used among ESL undergraduates according to learners’ gender. Forty ESL undergraduates from various disciplines at a local university were involved in this study and data were collected to achieve the main objective of the study. The survey design was employed, and data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive analysis to measure the frequency and percentage to identify the most frequent use of VLS and whether it differs from the undergraduates’ gender. The findings of this study found that male undergraduates used VLS more than female undergraduates and memory and social strategy were the most frequently used by female undergraduates while male undergraduates used more of cognitive and metacognitive strategy. Therefore, the findings of the study are indeed beneficial for learners to know which VLS suits them and how they can acquire a vast amount of vocabulary during their second language learning process by applying those vocabulary strategies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 01
Author(s):  
Aminulloh Aminulloh ◽  
Asropi Safi'i ◽  
Muhammad Eka Rahman

This reserch focuses on English vocabulary achievement through telling stories Using pictures. The general  problem of this research is How far is the English vocabulary achievement through telling stories using pictures of the fifth year student of MIMA KH Siddiq Jember?". In this research the quantitative data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics. Based on the description from data analysis, the result of students’ English vocabulary achievement through telling stories was 76, 6. After consulting to the table score classification levels, the score lied in the interval of 66 to 75. This meant that the English vocabulary achievement by telling stories using pictures of the fifth year students of MIMA KH Siddiq Jember is enough. Since, the result of this research was enough; it is possible supported by the student's activity in learning English, the teaching learning process and the school facilities.


ReCALL ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Dooly ◽  
Randall Sadler

AbstractThis article presents a pedagogical design for teacher education that combines flipped materials, in-class instruction, and telecollaboration (also known as virtual exchange) for foreign language teacher education. The context of this study is a course on technology and language learning for future teachers in which the flipped classroom concept was applied to technology-infused collaborative teacher training between future ESL/EFL instructors located at two partner universities (one in the USA, one in Europe). The three main teaching approaches (flipped materials, in class, and telecollaborative, or “FIT”) were symbiotic in that each structure reinforced the other through reception, discussion, and reflection as a means to help the student teachers bridge the gap between theory and practice. We apply classroom ethnographic discourse analysis to data sources (face-to-face and online discussion groups, student e-portfolios) to look at uptake of ideas, conceptual understanding, and successful transfer of new knowledge, and thereby identify whether the design provides significant learning opportunities for the future teachers. Although most studies of telecollaboration in language teacher education look principally at output, this approach allows an in-depth look at the learning process as knowledge is developed collaboratively between the participants.


Author(s):  
Chiara Romagnoli ◽  
Sergio Conti

Abstract Vocabulary plays a crucial role in foreign language learning, and vocabulary mastery proves to be challenging at different competence levels. Compared to other areas of research into Chinese as a foreign language, vocabulary acquisition and vocabulary teaching have rarely been investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary size and to verify whether vocabulary size is positively correlated to proficiency level. A total of 95 Italian undergraduate Chinese learners, from elementary to intermediate levels, participated in this study. The participants were first given a vocabulary learning questionnaire and then a vocabulary size test. Statistical and qualitative analyses of the data revealed two trends: a poor variety of vocabulary learning strategies and a positive correlation between vocabulary size and proficiency level.


2006 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-45

06–108Andrew, Michael D. (U New Hampshire, USA), Casey D. Cobb & Peter J. Giampietro, Verbal ability and teacher effectiveness. Journal of Teacher Education (Sage) 56.4 (2005), 343–354.06–109Beran, Tanya (U Calgary, Canada) & Claudio Violato, Ratings of university teacher instruction: How much do student and course characteristics really matter?Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education (Routledge/Taylor&Francis) 30.6 (2005), 593–601.06–110Cadman, Kate (U Adelaide, Australia; [email protected]), Towards a ‘pedagogy of connection’ in critical research education: A REAL story. Journal of English for Academic Purposes (Elsevier) 4.4 (2005), 353–367.06–111Francis, Dawn (James Cook U, Australia) & Louise Ingram-Starrs, The labour of learning to reflect. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice (Routledge/Taylor&Francis) 11.6 (2005), 541–553.06–112Gordon, June A. (U California at Santa Cruz, USA), The crumbling pedestal: Changing images of Japanese teachers. Journal of Teacher Education (Sage) 56.5 (2005), 459–470.06–113Green, Catherine & Rosie Tanner (IVLOS Institute of Education, Utrecht U, the Netherlands; [email protected]), Multiple intelligences and online teacher education. ELT Journal (Oxford University Press) 59.4 (2005), 312–321.06–114Hsu, Shihkuan (National Taiwan U, Taiwan), Help-seeking behaviour of student teachers. Educational Research (Routledge/Taylor&Francis) 47.3 (2005), 307–318.06–115Kolesnikova, Irina L. (St Petersburg, Russia; vkolesni@rol), English or Russian? English language teacher training and education. World Englishes (Blackwell) 24.4 (2005), 471–476.06–116Leeman, Yvonne & Guuske Ledoux (U Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Teachers on intercultural education. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice (Routledge/Taylor&Francis) 11.6 (2005), 575–589.06–117Longaker, Mark Garrett (U Texas at Austin, USA), Market rhetoric and the Ebonics debate. Written Communication (Sage) 22.4 (2005), 472–501.06–118Lovtsevich, Galina N. (Vladivostok, Russia; [email protected]), Language teachers through the looking glass: Expanding Circle teachers' discourse. World Englishes (Blackwell) 24.4 (2005), 461–469.06–119McDonald, Ria (U South Africa, South Africa) & Daniel Kasule, The monitor hypothesis and English teachers in Botswana: Problems, varieties and implications for language teacher education. Language, Culture and Curriculum (Multilingual Matters) 18.2 (2005), 188–200.06–120Orland-Barak, Lily (U of Haifa, Israel), Lost in translation: Mentors learning to participate in competing discourses of practice. Journal of Teacher Education (Sage) 56.4 (2005), 355–366.06–121Postholm, May Britt (Norwegian U Science & Technology, Norway), The teacher shaping and creating dialogues in project work. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice (Routledge/Taylor&Francis) 11.6 (2005), 519–539.06–122Poulou, Maria (U Crete, Greece), Educational psychology with teacher education. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice (Routledge/Taylor&Francis) 11.6 (2005), 555–574.06–123Shahrzad, Saif (Université Laval, Quebec, Canada), Aiming for positive washback: A case study of international teaching assistants. Language Testing (Hodder Arnold) 23.1 (2006), 1–34.06–124Siew-Lian Wong, Mary (Batu Lintang Teachers' College, Malaysia; [email protected]), Language learning strategies and self-efficacy: Investigating the relationship in Malaysia. RELC Journal (Sage) 36.3 (2005), 245–269.06–125Sifakis, Nicos C. & Areti-Maria Sougari (Hellenic Open U, Greece), Pronunciation issues and EIL pedagogy in the periphery: A survey of Greek state school teachers' beliefs. TESOL Quarterly (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) 39.3 (2005), 467–488.06–126Yin Wa Chan, Alice (City U Hong Kong, China), Tactics employed and problems encountered by university English majors in Hong Kong in using a dictionary. Applied Language Learning (Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and Presidio of Monterey) 15.1 & 15.2 (2005), 1–27.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Fletcher ◽  
Chris Astall ◽  
John Everatt

PurposeThis paper is aims to mentor initial teacher education (ITE) students during their practicum.Design/methodology/approachInformed by a social constructivist theoretical framework, an online survey was used to capture the breadth of quantitative data and the richness of qualitative responses relating to factors impacting student−teachers' experiences during practicums.FindingsQuantitative data indicate that many student teachers were positive about the practicum, but this varied across the type of school in which they were placed. The qualitative data analyses showed a greater in-depth understanding of the range of issues that impacted how student teachers are treated in their role as a mentee by the mentor and the wider school community.Practical implicationsBetter understanding the experiences of student teachers helps to inform ITE providers of the critical role that mentor teachers play in preparing student teachers. The practical implications are that strategies to develop deep and collaborative partnerships amongst ITE providers, mentor teachers and school leaders, which build stronger understandings of a mentor teacher's role, are critical in order to support student teachers.Originality/valueThis research study repositions the critical nature of effective mentoring of student teachers so that mentor teachers and ITE providers can be informed by the voices and lived realities of these student teachers. The mentoring relationship needs to be critically interrogated to provide a more even and supportive “playing field” for all student teachers.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (36) ◽  
pp. 98-110
Author(s):  
Bruna Braga Silveira ◽  
Bruna Sommer Farias ◽  
Caroline Scheuer Neves ◽  
Daniela Mittelstadt ◽  
Christine Nicolaides

Este é um trabalho de cunho qualitativo baseado em princípios etnográficos, cujo objetivoprincipal é acompanhar e compreender o processo de desenvolvimento de aprendizagem e ensinoautônomos. Os dados provêm de uma pesquisa intitulada “O Professor de Língua Inglesa e suaTrajetória em Direção ao Aprendizado e ao Ensino Autônomos”, que procura verificar o comportamentode cinco participantes em dois momentos – como alunos da disciplina de Prática de Ensino de LínguaInglesa de uma universidade particular em Porto Alegre, e como estagiários em escolas da rede públicaestadual. Para este trabalho, no entanto, descreveremos a experiência de apenas uma participante:Mariana1. Os resultados mostram o engajamento da participante em planejar e aplicar tarefassignificativas objetivando desenvolver a autonomia em seus aprendizes.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Autonomia – Estágio de Inglês – Aprendizagem de línguasABSTRACT: This paper is based on qualitive research with ethnographical principles, which aims tofollow and understand autonomy learning process development. The data come from a research projectentitled "The English teacher and his/her trajectory towards autonomous learning and teaching", whosemain objective is to verify the behavior of five participants at two occasions– as students during the intrainingteaching classes in a private university in Porto Alegre, and as student-teachers during their intrainingteaching period in state public schools. Nevertheless, for this paper we will be describing theexperience of only one participant: Mariana. Results show the participant commitment while planningand applying meaningful tasks which aim at her student’s autonomy development.KEYWORDS: Autonomy – In-training period – Language learning


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document