The use of MOOCs in learning English: Rwaq as an example: مدى استفادة المتعلمين من منصات التعلم الإلكترونية في تعلم اللغة الإنجليزية – رواق نموذجاً

This study aimed to examine how effective using MOOCS in learning English, and how a number of factors, such as age, gender, education level, occupation and number of courses taken, can influence this effect, if any. In particular, this study sought to answer the following question: To what extent the use of MOOCS can enhance English learning? A number of English learners (n = 336) were recruited from an online English course initiative (English Mastery) at Rawq (An Arabic online platform offering open courses). Two sets of questionnaire were distributed among the learners. The first set was designed to obtain some demographic information from the participants (age, gender, education level, occupation, and number of Rwaq English Mastery courses taken). The second set contained 33 items designed to examine whether the learners benefited from the offered online English courses in terms of both: knowledge and skills. The results indicate that the use of the online English courses provided by the English Mastery Initiative at Rawq was effective in increasing the learner’s knowledge and skills of the English language. The factors age, gender, education level, and occupation were found not to have any effect on the results. Only the number of online courses taken was found to be effective in enhancing the learners’ knowledge and skills of the English language (from 3 to five courses). The study recommends the following: 1) online English language courses at Rwaq should be increased in number, 2) Rwaq should survey English leaners’ needs before offering their courses, 3) Rwaq should offer courses specialized in training English learners for taking standardized English language tests (e.g., IELTS, TOEFL, STEP), and 4) Saudi Universities should have their own MOOCs.

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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORIES OF VERBS IN ENGLISH AND ALBANIAN

Knowledge International Journal ◽

10.35120/kij28072245s ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (7) ◽

pp. 2245-2249

Author(s):

Suzana Ejupi ◽

Lindita Skenderi

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Learning Process ◽

English Learners ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Target Language ◽

Part Of Speech ◽

Grammatical Categories ◽

Learning English

Working with English learners for many years, gives you the opportunity to encounter linguistic obstacles that they face while learning English language as a foreign language. Additionally, teaching for 13 years and observing the learning process, it enables you to recognize the students’ needs and at the same time, detect linguistic mistakes that they make, while practicing the target language. During my experience as a teacher, in terms of teaching and learning verbs in general and its grammatical categories in specific, it is noticed that Albanian learners find it relatively difficult the correct use of verbs in context and even more confusing the equivalent use of verbs in Albanian. Since verbs present an important part of speech, this study aims to investigate several differences and similarities between grammatical categories of verbs in English and Albanian. As a result, the Albanian learners of English language will be able to identify some of the major differences and similarities between the grammatical categories of verbs in English and Albanian; overcome the usual mistakes; gain the necessary knowledge regarding verbs and use them properly in English and Albanian.

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Exploring Multiple Dimensions of Recording Video Clips in Group in Learning English Speaking Skill

International Journal of Scientific Research and Management ◽

10.18535/ijsrm/v8i02.el01 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (02) ◽

pp. 1222-1237

Author(s):

Tuyen Nguyen Chau Bich

Keyword(s):

English Learners ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Structure Interview ◽

Video Clips ◽

Multiple Dimensions ◽

Speaking Skill ◽

English Speaking ◽

Learning English

Applying technology in learning English language is indispensable in the period of industry 4.0 and global integration. However, what technological techniques should be applied in teaching and learning process is the most serious concern. Evidence shows that different technological applications may lead to various learning outcomes, detrimental effects, even spoiling learning interest or motivations. Therefore, this paper is aimed not only to explore the multiple dimensions of recoding video clips in group (RVCIG) in learning English speaking skill but also illustrate how this activity (RVCIG) influences on learners’ English speaking improvement. Apparently, these explorations and illustrations help to consider whether this RVCIG is widely used in teaching English speaking process or not. To do that, a quantitative research method with the tool of semi - structure interview is used to collect various information, mixed feedbacks or motivations from 2 groups of students fully participating in recording three video clips in group within course. Additionally, a questionnaire survey is also sent to 33 English learners for exploring both commendable and detrimental influences of this RVCIG on English speaking development. The findings indicate that RVCIG makes learners have various opposite experiences in language competence, confident expression, and communication, as well as cope with unavoidable challenges of time consuming, technological problems, and group member’ disagreements. Whatever advantages or disadvantages of this RVCIG activity has, learners also express their interest and expectation of recording video clips in group for purposes of English speaking improvement, mutual engagement, collaborative learning and building friendship.

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A Review of the Washback of English Language Tests on Classroom Teaching

English Language Teaching ◽

10.5539/elt.v13n9p10 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 10

Author(s):

Qi Kuang

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Pedagogical Practices ◽

Classroom Teaching ◽

Language Test ◽

Future Studies ◽

Course Content ◽

Language Tests ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

The One ◽

Complicated Mechanism

Scholars have long recognized the Washback effect of English language tests on English teaching inside the classroom. However, the lack of scholarly reports in this area is also nonnegligible. Therefore, the present study intends to review some empirical researches that focus on the washback of some English language tests on different aspects of classroom teaching, including the washback on course content, teaching materials, and teaching activities. Both positive and negative washback are found on these aspects and can be attributed to a number of factors, including differences in features of the test content, differences in tests’ coordination to course syllabus, differences in teachers’ adoption of teaching methods, etc. The final discussion recognizes the complicated mechanism of washback of the English language test on classroom teaching and serves to bring out some scholarly and pedagogical implications. On the one hand, future studies could focus more on how to bring out positive washback of English language tests on classroom teaching. On the other hand, pedagogical practices could take advantage of the latest scholarly findings to maximize the efficacy of the aforementioned positive washback.

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In their own voices: Development of English as a gender-neutral language

English Today ◽

10.1017/s0266078417000372 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 12-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Janina Brutt-Griffler ◽

Sumi Kim

Keyword(s):

International Students ◽

Identity Formation ◽

Gender Equality ◽

English Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Asian Students ◽

English Learner ◽

Gender Neutral ◽

Neutral Language ◽

Learning English

This study explores how learning English among one subset of English learners, Asian female international students at US colleges, contributes to the larger project of advancing gender equality. Using their narratives, we ask why Asian female international students invest so much of their identities and effort into learning English. We discuss the ways in which their endeavours may even silently promote the development of English as a gender-neutral language. The population of Asian students offers a compelling case of how the English language is potentially transformed via its spread to this English learner population and how it presents new avenues for identity formation for the growing number of female English users worldwide (cf. Brutt-Griffler, 2010: 232).

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The effect of read-aloud assistance on the text comprehension of dyslexic and non-dyslexic English language learners

Language Testing ◽

10.1177/0265532218756946 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 51-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Milena Košak-Babuder ◽

Judit Kormos ◽

Michael Ratajczak ◽

Karmen Pižorn

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Language Comprehension ◽

English Learners ◽

Text Comprehension ◽

English Language ◽

Error Variance ◽

Read Aloud ◽

Language Tests ◽

Generalized Linear Mixed Effects ◽

Dyslexic Students

One of the special arrangements in testing contexts is to allow dyslexic students to listen to the text while they read. In our study, we investigated the effect of read-aloud assistance on young English learners’ language comprehension scores. We also examined whether students with dyslexia identification benefit from this assistance differently from their peers with no official identification of dyslexia. Our research was conducted with young Slovenian learners of English who performed four language assessment tasks adapted from a standardized battery of Slovenian national English language tests. In a counter-balanced design, 233 students with no identified dyslexia and 47 students with dyslexia identification completed two language comprehension tasks in a reading-only condition, one task with read-aloud assistance and one task in listening-only mode. We used Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Modelling (GLMM) to estimate accurately the effects of the mode of administration, dyslexia status, and input text difficulty, while accounting for error variance owing to random differences between students, texts, and questions. The results of our study revealed that young L2 learners with no dyslexia identification performed similarly in the three conditions. The read-aloud assistance, however, was found to increase the comprehension scores of dyslexic participants when reading difficult texts, allowing them to perform at the level of their non-dyslexic peers. Therefore, our study suggests that this modification of the test administration mode might assist dyslexic students in demonstrating their text comprehension abilities.

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Barriers to Speaking in English Among Maritime Students

International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering - Special Issue ◽

10.35940/ijitee.l4014.1081219 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 5577-5584

Keyword(s):

English Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Female Students ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Tertiary Institutions ◽

Speaking Proficiency ◽

Language Courses ◽

Oral Skills ◽

Survey Questionnaires

This study analyses the contributing factors to problems with regard to speaking in English among maritime students at two tertiary institutions in Malaysia. This study looks at five paradigms: learners’ personality, amount and quality of exposure to English, learners’ attitude, learners’ motivation, and pedagogical management of the English Language courses at the campus. The study also compares the causes of the speaking problems in English between male and female students. Survey questionnaires are distributed to 150 final-year maritime students. Data were analysed descriptively via SPSS. It is found that the main causes of the students’ speaking problems stem from the teachers’ pedagogical management of the English subjects, exposure to English, and personality which contribute moderately to the learners’ predicaments. However, motivation and attitude are identified to have contributed the least to the students’ oral skills inadequacies. Several ensuing implications for initiatives to help enhance students’ speaking proficiency in the English Language are also discussed.

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Analysis of Variety of Learning Difficulties in Indonesian Language Education Students on English Language Courses at University of Ma'arif Nu Kebumen

ETERNAL (English Teaching Journal) ◽

10.26877/eternal.v11i1.6064 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alek Andika ◽

Endah Mitsalina

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Language Education ◽

Research Subjects ◽

Study Program ◽

International Language ◽

Depth Interview ◽

Language Courses ◽

The Government ◽

Asean Economic Community ◽

Learning English

Mastery of English as an international language is a necessity at this time. Indonesia as a member of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) should properly prepare for this challenge by preparing a capable and skilled generation of the nation. English is an international language that is very important for communication and connecting people with the world in various aspects including education. The government shows its seriousness in improving English language skills to the nation's generation, namely by requiring English at the educational level. In reality, there are various difficulties faced by students when learning English, especially in learners / students who are not from the English department called ESP (English for Specific Purposes) Learners. This study aims to explore deeper into the variety of difficulties faced by students in learning English in students of Indonesian Language Education Study Program at FKIP University of Ma'arif NU Kebumen. This study uses a qualitative approach with questionnaire instruments, observation and in-depth interview. Analysis of research data was carried out through three stages, namely data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing. The results of this study indicate that research subjects face a variety of difficulties learning English, namely: 1) lack of student confidence, 2) students rarely use English in daily life and, 3) lack of vocabulary mastery.

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Analysis of Variety of Learning Difficulties to Indonesian Language Education Students On English Language Courses at University of Ma'arif NU Kebumen

Social, Humanities, and Educational Studies (SHEs): Conference Series ◽

10.20961/shes.v2i1.36155 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Alek Andika ◽

Endah Mitsalina

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Language Education ◽

Research Subjects ◽

Education Students ◽

Study Program ◽

International Language ◽

Language Courses ◽

The Government ◽

Asean Economic Community ◽

Learning English

Mastery of English as an international language is a necessity at this time. Indonesia as a member of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) should properly prepare for this challenge by preparing a capable and skilled generation of the nation. English is an international language that is very important for communication and connecting people with the world in various aspects including education. The government shows its seriousness in improving English language skills to the nation's generation, namely by requiring English at the educational level. In reality, there are various difficulties faced by students when learning English, especially in learners / students who are not from the English department called ESP (English for Specific Purposes) Learners. This study aims to dig deeper into the variety of difficulties faced by students in learning English in students of Indonesian Language Education Study Program at FKIP Ma'arif University NU Kebumen. This study uses a qualitative approach with questionnaire instruments, observation and indepth interview. Analysis of research data was carried out through three stages, namely data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing. The results of this study indicate that research subjects face a variety of difficulties learning English, namely: 1) lack of student confidence, 2) students rarely use English in daily life and, 3) lack of vocabulary mastery.

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Opportunities And Challenges: Afghan Youth Learning English

10.32920/ryerson.14649063 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Khesraw E. Nazar

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

English Language ◽

Community Leader ◽

After School ◽

Class Discussion ◽

School Students ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Short Time ◽

Learning English

The focus of this study is to understand what the opportunities and or challenges are for Afghan immigrant youth in the process of acquiring the English language. This research documents the experiences of Afghan high school students in their effort to obtain the English language during several years of residence in Canada. Based on a one-on-one interview of eight participants, including: seven high-school students and one community leader; this study found that there were a number of opportunities used by the students to learn the English language and a number of factors that made learning English challenging. The opportunities that helped the students include, learning the language in informal settings, such as with friends, sports activities, the workplace, and the internet. The challenges that many of the students indicated, mainly involved formal programs in schools, for example, short time period spent in ESL classes, the facilitation of after-school help by other students who did not know the material well, and the embarrassment of participating in class discussion due to disrespect from classmates.

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