scholarly journals French versus English: A sociolinguistic study of Moroccans’ foreign language attitudinal tendencies

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (13) ◽  
pp. 121-150
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Seddik ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
French Language ◽  
Power Struggle ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
French And English ◽  
Overall Evaluation

The complexity of the Moroccan language landscape sparks off a power struggle between languages. The focus in this chapter is on the apparent French/English language contest over supremacy. Here comes the current investigation that aims at gauging Moroccan’s perceptions of French and English through a language questionnaire. Responses were subjected to statistical analyses to support or reject the hypothesis that gender, age and language proficiency affect Moroccans’ evaluations of French and English. The study reveals that Moroccans’ attitudes towards English are significantly more favorable than those towards the French language. Age, but not gender, has turned out to have a statistically significant difference in the overall evaluation of French and English. These evaluations have also been shown to correlate with the respondents’ French and English language proficiency. The result of this study is an indication that Moroccans’ attitudes toward French and English are undergoing a change from a conventional preference for French to a recent favor of English whose phenomenal growth globally may have affected language attitudes locally.

scholarly journals The Impact of Blended Learning on the Twelfth Grade Students’ English Language Proficiency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Hussein Al Noursi
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Twelfth Grade ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

The blended learning approach utilizes modern technologies and electronic media in teaching to create a technology-based environment. However, it is not an exclusive online environment because the teacher and the students have to be present in a traditional face-to-face classroom. It is widely believed that adopting a blended learning approach will enable learners to have quality educational opportunities and improve their performance. The incentive for conducting the research is to evaluate the effect of the blended learning approach on high school students’ English proficiency. Specifically, the study aimed at answering the question: is there a significant difference in the Twelfth-Grade students’ English language proficiency as measured by IELTS due to the model of delivery (Blended learning model and the traditional delivery model)? To achieve the study’s goal, the researcher applied the experimental method and used IELTS to measure language proficiency. The study sample selected purposively consisted of 63 male twelfth-grade students in one of the private schools in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study sample was assigned to two groups: the experimental group taught using blended learning consisted of 31 students, and the control group led by the traditional method consisted of 32 students. The results showed statistically significant differences at the level of (a<0.01) between the means of the results of the two groups on the post achievement test in favor of the experimental group. These results illustrated the impact of adopting the blended learning approach in an English Foreign Language (EFL) setting on students’ achievement in standardized tests. However, the successful implementation of blended learning largely depends on how responsible and committed students are towards active learning.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Students and Teachers about Students’ Proficiency in English Language at Higher Secondary Level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Kifayatullah Khan ◽  
Wasal Khan
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Perceptions Of Students

This cross-sectional quantitative research was conducted to compare the average perceptions of students and teachers regarding students’ English language proficiency at the higher secondary level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The participants were 1975 students and 108 teachers belonging to one each district of the seven divisions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Data were collected through pre-tested questionnaire i.e., one each for students and teachers. To analyze the significance difference between the average perceptions of students and teachers about higher secondary students’ English language proficiency; independent samples t-test was applied. The findings of the study revealed significant difference in teachers’ and students’ perceptions regarding students’ partial command over English language; use of English in and beyond classroom; expressing views fluently in English; students’ listening, speaking and reading skills; while no significant difference was seen regarding students’ full command over English language and their writing skill.

scholarly journals Implementing a Cultural Model to Increase English-Language Proficiency at an International College

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Janice Lee Scarinci ◽  
Edward Howell
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Question ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cultural Model ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
International College ◽  
And Control

Research Question: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the addition of an American Cultural Model to an existing English as a Second Language (ESL) program improved the performance of international students.  Idea: The English language proficiency is essential for students in global emerging economies in order to be competitive, and our study can be generalized to learning other languages within the respective cultural model. Motivation: The results of our study can be applied to higher education worldwide since currently the international business language is English.  Data: The data collected were analyzed and interpreted to determine whether cultural training improved scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  Tools: Two groups of incoming students were compared as the treatment and control groups, using the t-test with appropriate statistical package. Findings: Data analysis showed a statistically significant difference in TOEFL scores between the control group and the experimental group benefiting from the implementation of the Introduction of the American Cultural Model. Contribution: The English language proficiency is essential for students in global emerging economies in order for them to be competitive, and our study can be generalized to learning other languages within a respective cultural model.

Linguistic Expats and Bounded Fluency

2019 ◽  
pp. 42-57
Author(s):  
Tsedal Neeley
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Conference Call ◽  
Remote Location ◽  
Japanese Employees

This chapter focuses on the Japanese linguistic expats and their linguistic shock, which initially presents a barrier to learning a foreign language. It provides the results of the seemingly insurmountable challenge at the mandate's announcement—base English language proficiency for the Japanese domestic workforce. Here, the term “linguistic expat” is used to describe employees like Kenji who live in their home country yet must give up their mother tongue when they enter their place of employment or sign into a conference call from a remote location. This chapter shows how this twist—a mismatch between language, nationality, and organizational culture—made the Japanese employees uncomfortable. Learning English, at least in the first phase, required that they form new perceptions of themselves, their company, and their jobs. The demands of the mandate made them feel anxious about their productivity and insecure about their future at Rakuten. Although the majority of the linguistic expats progressed in their acquisition of English, few were able to reach a level where fluency was automatic.

Non-native EFL teachers’ email production and perceptions of e-(im)politeness

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis ◽  
Helen Woodfield ◽  
Christine Savvidou
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Politeness Strategies

AbstractThe present study investigates the nature of email requests to faculty produced by non-native speaker (NNS) teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), the importance attached by these teachers to linguistic forms designed to achieve email politeness and status-congruence, and the extent to which perceptions and evaluations by the NNS teachers and native-speaker (NS) lecturers might differ with regard to these emails. The study found that the non-native speaker teachers (NNSTs) evidenced a developed sense of sociopragmatic knowledge in high imposition L2 requests for action, and employed politeness strategies that were indicative of a concern to maintain social and face relationships in virtual consultations. It is argued that despite their advanced English language proficiency, the teachers’ reliance on directness, excessive formality, and lengthy grounders could still put them out-of-status and render their emails as pragmatically inappropriate. The study further confirmed significant differences in how the two groups perceive appropriateness and politeness in direct and unmodified student email requests to faculty. Overall, while the NSs judged the emails primarily according to their content and, to a lesser extent, according to their form and framing devices, the NNSTs focused almost exclusively on form and framing devices (in/formality, in/directness, nature and extent of mitigation, opening/closing moves, forms of address).

scholarly journals CONDITIONS OF BILINGUAL PERSONALITY FORMATION AND ENGLISH SPEECH INTONING SKILLS (SURVEY RESULTS)

2018 ◽  
pp. 208-212
Author(s):  
E. N. Makarova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Linguistic Competence ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Mexican Students ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Different Levels

The article deals with the results of research of sociolinguistic factors’ effect on English phrasal accentuation in the reading authentic English material by Mexican subjects. It features a survey data analysis of the characteristics of the Mexican testees with different levels of English language proficiency. The survey has supplied information about their age at the beginning period of English learning process and its conditions, intensity of its usage at present and subjects’ attitude to the necessity of English phonetics acquisition. The current paper introduces some results of phonetic experiment aimed at revealing Mexican subjects’ ability to intone English speech, namely to choose nucleus in the English utterance. Mexican students’ linguistic competence is proved to be the crucial factor responsible for the correctness in identifying nucleus location. The results presented can be used to contribute to the effectiveness of the English and Spanish as a foreign language teaching as well as for improvement of survey construction in sociolinguistic studies.

The Correlation between Iraqi EFL Preparatory School Students’ Language Learning Styles and Language Proficiency

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khattab Jabbar Jassim Al Saadey ◽  
Prof. Dr. Salam Hamid Abbas ◽  
Prof. Dr. Salam Hamid Abbas
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
School Students ◽  
Preparatory School

Learning styles usually viewed as having a direct impact on foreign language learning. Knowing of students’ learning styles contributes significantly to the development of the level of students in the foreign language where they deal with language inputs differently and each student has a different learning style. Accordingly, foreign language teachers should be aware of the students’ individual differences in general and learning styles in particular. This study aims to find out: 1. Iraqi EFL preparatory school students’ learning styles. 2. Iraqi EFL preparatory school students’ level of language proficiency. 3. The correlation between Iraqi EFL preparatory school students’ learning styles and level of language proficiency. 4. Which of the learning styles do contribute to the interpretation of variation in language proficiency of Iraqi EFL preparatory school students. This study is a correlational research in which the population consists of 325 students from different Iraqi preparatory schools during the academic year 2020/2021. The data is gathered by employing a questionnaire to assess students' learning styles and an English language proficiency test to assess students’ proficiency represented by language skills. After their validity and reliability are verified, the instruments are applied to the research sample. The results of the statistical manipulation showed the following: 1. Iraqi EFL preparatory school students show weak level of language proficiency. 2. The dominant learning styles of Iraqi preparatory school students are random/intuitive style, followed by impulsive/reflective, while the sequential learning style comes third. While the use of closure/open oriented and deductive/inductive learning styles are not statistically significant. 3. Iraqi EFL preparatory school students’ learning styles are statistically correlated with their English language proficiency. 4. The visual, auditory, impulsive/reflective, and synthetic/analytic styles contribut

scholarly journals English language proficiency level of Higher Secondary level students in Nepal

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-75
Author(s):  
Keshab Kumar Sijali
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Language Proficiency Test ◽  
Academic Year

The objective of this study is to investigate the proficiency level of English language of higher secondary level students in Nepal regarding their gender, nature of institution, medium of instruction and stream. The subject of this study comprises 529 learners from 22 higher secondary school of academic year 2015/6 among whom an English language proficiency test was conducted. The data obtained were analyzed using mean, Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal Wallis H-test of non-parametric test. The result showed that the English language proficiency level of higher secondary level students in Nepal was poor (M = 10.4490). Regarding the gender, the result showed that there was no statistically significant difference between female and male ELT students in their English language proficiency level. However, ELT students of government higher secondary level were found statistically significantly less proficient in English language than that of private higher secondary level .Similarly, the Nepali medium ELT students were found statistically significantly highly less proficient in English language than that of English medium. The result further showed that there was statistically significant difference in the English language proficiency level of higher secondary level students in Nepal from different streams

scholarly journals Phrasal Verbs in English as a Second/Foreign Language

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Abid Thyab
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are used very regularly in the English language, and native English speakers are found to use phrasal verbs on a daily basis and cannot do without the use of phrasal verbs in everyday communicative situations. However, phrasal verbs in English language teaching as a second/foreign language is almost non-existent. That is, English as a second language (ESL)/English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching environments, in the Arab world, and specifically in Iraq, hardly teach the meaning of phrasal verbs to students, and neglect teaching the correct ways of using them, despite the fact that they are an essential part of daily native English communication. Therefore, and due to the vitality of phrasal verbs to native speakers of English, ESL/EFL students should be taught and educated to be capable of understanding and using phrasal verbs when interacting in English because knowledge of phrasal verbs would normally lead to better English language proficiency and more native-like communication. Nonetheless, phrasal verbs are not easy, and students often find them difficult, because phrasal verbs carry a specific meaning which is not inferable from the meaning of its composing words inseparable form as well as other reasons which have been explained within this paper. Hence, this paper points to the necessity of including phrasal verbs in English language teaching. Through implementing a qualitative approach, the aim, within this paper, is to identify and list causes of difficulty that learners of the English language may face when it comes to knowledge of English phrasal verbs, with regard to the spontaneous and fluent use of phrasal verbs by native English speakers. The significance, here, is to point out the need of taking this matter into serious concern and to offer suggestions and recommendations for better English as a second/foreign language learning and teaching, all in hope of better English language proficiency and ability.

scholarly journals Parents’ Educational Level and Children’s English Language Proficiency

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 25-39
Author(s):  
Simin Jalili
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
University Education ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Desire To Have Children ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Role Of Parents

The expansion of the English Language utilization, the concept of Lingua Franca, and the English language proficiency’s role in children’s social and vocational future, make children’s learning English a vital affair for parents all around the world. Minding the role of parents’ educational level is an understudied issue in children’s English language proficiency level. To address this unexpected topic, the purpose of this study is finding the relationship between parents’ educational level and children’s English language proficiency. For this study, the researcher gave a TOEFL test (for evaluating the children’s English language proficiency) and a questionnaire (for determining their parents’ educational level) to eighty participants both female and male who are in their twenties and thirties. They were students in Intermediate and Upper Intermediate level in Gatt Language Center (GLC) in Tehran. After collecting the data the researcher considered each participant’s score two times: First regarding to their fathers’ educational level, second regarding to their mothers’ educational level. The researcher ran Independent Sample t-Test for differentiation between children whose parents have university education and children whose parents do not have university education. This study showed that children whose mothers have university education have higher level of English language proficiency. But there is no significant difference of English language proficiency level between children whose fathers have university education and those whose fathers do not have university education. In accordance with this study, unlike fathers’, mothers’ educational level, especially university education, could affect children’s English language proficiency level. So all parents especially mothers who desire to have children with high English language proficiency level, should take the prominence of their own educational level into account.

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