scholarly journals Theatre as TBLT: The implementation of theatre in a high school EFL Oral Communication course in Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Robin David Reid
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Original Play ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Communicative Practice ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Original Story ◽  
Student Reflections

<p>Task-based learning and teaching (TBLT) has garnered growing interest from educators in EFL contexts around the world, particularly in East Asian classroom contexts such as Japan where prominent entrance examinations can exert a strong influence on pedagogy (Wada, 2002; Stewart, 2009). Aiming to increase communicative practice during class in such contexts, implementation of TBLT has yielded mixed results and some have questioned the ability of TBLT to achieve its objectives given the institutional constraints present in those contexts (Carless 2004, 2007, 2009; Butler 2011; Sato 2010, 2011). Most of these studies explore pedagogical tasks of a more conventional nature and overlook how holistic activities from other disciplines outside of language teaching can function as legitimate examples of TBLT. The current study nominated theatre as one such holistic activity and examined the implementation of theatre as a form of task-based pedagogy, following the study of Carson (2012). The theatre tasks were designed to fulfil the criteria for creative tasks, as described by Willis (1996) and the present study investigated to what extent theatre could promote language learning within such a task-based approach (e.g. Ellis 2003, 2009; Shekan 2003; Samuda & Bygate 2008).  The main study was quasi-experimental in design and investigated whether two types of theatre tasks could function as viable instructional packages. The theatre tasks were either a theatrical adaptation of an existing story (Adapted Play) or an original story based on one of three provided themes (Original Play). These two tasks were distinguished by the different amounts of conceptual creativity that they required, with the Original Plays identified as more difficult due to their greater creative demands. Three aspects of these tasks were analysed: 1) the process of collaboratively devising a play; 2) the effects of task difficulty on the language produced in the task performance; and 3) the students’ reflections on their engagement with the tasks.  The implementation of these tasks occurred during regularly scheduled Oral Communication (OC) classes at a high school in Japan. With a counterbalanced design, groups of six to seven students performed one of the tasks in the first study and then, after a period of ten weeks, performed the other task. Either task consisted of approximately 100 minutes of planning and rehearsal, spread out evenly over four class periods, and culminated in a staged performance during a fifth lesson. The data compiled for analysis was taken from audio and video recordings of both group work in class and the final performances of each group, as well as post-task surveys administered to each student individually after each study.  The main findings of this analysis were: (1) students in the Adapted Plays produced more fluent and syntactically complex language while students in the Original Plays produced less complex but more accurate language; (2) the Adapted Plays featured more use of overt narration which influenced the fluency and complexity of those plays; (3) student reflections from their post-task surveys indicated that the collaborative element of the tasks increased intrinsic motivation for completing the task; and (4) less initial demands on conceptual creativity in the Adapted Plays appeared to free up time later in the process to compose longer stories, though the frequency and quality of language related talk did not differ noticeably between the two play types.  Based on these findings, two points can be argued. Firstly, the Original Play tasks put increased demands on students’ conceptual creativity. In relation to this, the provided content of the Adapted Play tasks acted as an ‘embedded scaffolding’ (Shapiro, 2008). Secondly, theatre, envisioned as a creative task within a TBLT framework, satisfied the criteria for a task (Ellis, 2003) but raised issues regarding the constructs of planning and report found in the ‘task cycle’ of Willis’ (1996) pedagogical framework.</p>

scholarly journals Theatre as TBLT: The implementation of theatre in a high school EFL Oral Communication course in Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Robin David Reid
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Original Play ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Communicative Practice ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Original Story ◽  
Student Reflections

<p>Task-based learning and teaching (TBLT) has garnered growing interest from educators in EFL contexts around the world, particularly in East Asian classroom contexts such as Japan where prominent entrance examinations can exert a strong influence on pedagogy (Wada, 2002; Stewart, 2009). Aiming to increase communicative practice during class in such contexts, implementation of TBLT has yielded mixed results and some have questioned the ability of TBLT to achieve its objectives given the institutional constraints present in those contexts (Carless 2004, 2007, 2009; Butler 2011; Sato 2010, 2011). Most of these studies explore pedagogical tasks of a more conventional nature and overlook how holistic activities from other disciplines outside of language teaching can function as legitimate examples of TBLT. The current study nominated theatre as one such holistic activity and examined the implementation of theatre as a form of task-based pedagogy, following the study of Carson (2012). The theatre tasks were designed to fulfil the criteria for creative tasks, as described by Willis (1996) and the present study investigated to what extent theatre could promote language learning within such a task-based approach (e.g. Ellis 2003, 2009; Shekan 2003; Samuda & Bygate 2008).  The main study was quasi-experimental in design and investigated whether two types of theatre tasks could function as viable instructional packages. The theatre tasks were either a theatrical adaptation of an existing story (Adapted Play) or an original story based on one of three provided themes (Original Play). These two tasks were distinguished by the different amounts of conceptual creativity that they required, with the Original Plays identified as more difficult due to their greater creative demands. Three aspects of these tasks were analysed: 1) the process of collaboratively devising a play; 2) the effects of task difficulty on the language produced in the task performance; and 3) the students’ reflections on their engagement with the tasks.  The implementation of these tasks occurred during regularly scheduled Oral Communication (OC) classes at a high school in Japan. With a counterbalanced design, groups of six to seven students performed one of the tasks in the first study and then, after a period of ten weeks, performed the other task. Either task consisted of approximately 100 minutes of planning and rehearsal, spread out evenly over four class periods, and culminated in a staged performance during a fifth lesson. The data compiled for analysis was taken from audio and video recordings of both group work in class and the final performances of each group, as well as post-task surveys administered to each student individually after each study.  The main findings of this analysis were: (1) students in the Adapted Plays produced more fluent and syntactically complex language while students in the Original Plays produced less complex but more accurate language; (2) the Adapted Plays featured more use of overt narration which influenced the fluency and complexity of those plays; (3) student reflections from their post-task surveys indicated that the collaborative element of the tasks increased intrinsic motivation for completing the task; and (4) less initial demands on conceptual creativity in the Adapted Plays appeared to free up time later in the process to compose longer stories, though the frequency and quality of language related talk did not differ noticeably between the two play types.  Based on these findings, two points can be argued. Firstly, the Original Play tasks put increased demands on students’ conceptual creativity. In relation to this, the provided content of the Adapted Play tasks acted as an ‘embedded scaffolding’ (Shapiro, 2008). Secondly, theatre, envisioned as a creative task within a TBLT framework, satisfied the criteria for a task (Ellis, 2003) but raised issues regarding the constructs of planning and report found in the ‘task cycle’ of Willis’ (1996) pedagogical framework.</p>

scholarly journals The effect of Bilingualism on EFL elementary learners’ listening comprehension: The case of Azeri- Turkish vs. Persian students

2020 ◽  
pp. 44-64
Author(s):  
Ali ARABMOFRAD ◽  
Majid SAEIDI ◽  
Mohammad MOTAMEDI
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Elementary Students ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Listening Skill ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Multicultural Context ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Since the phenomenon of bilingualism is gradually increasing in the world, the theory-driven and practically oriented investigation on bilingualism have increased recently. However, a few studies have been conducted on the effect of bilingualism on language learning in the multilingual and multicultural context of Iran. Therefore, the main aim of the present study is to examine the effect of bilingualism on Iranian EFL learners' listening comprehension in the case of Azeri-Turkish vs. Persian students. The study employed a quasi-experimental design over 8 weeks with 44 female students assigned to one of the two experimental groups. To select bilingual and monolingual groups, a biographical questionnaire was used. Then, Nelson elementary proficiency test was administered to ensure the homogeneity of the students. To fulfill the purpose of the study, 15 bilingual (Azeri-Persian) elementary students in Fazilat high school in Ramian and 29 monolingual (Persian) elementary students in Sama high school in Azadshahr were selected to participate in the present study. Each group received 16 sessions of treatment in listening skill. Then, the two groups' performance was compared on pretest and posttest consisting of a multiple-choice and matching listening comprehension test. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between the bilingual and monolingual groups regarding their performance on listening comprehension, that is, bilingualism did not affect listening comprehension.

scholarly journals Structured Input vs. Structured Output Task’s Effects on the Acquisition of the English Causative Forms: Discourse-Level. Structured Input vs. Structured Output Task’s Effects on the Acquisition of the English Causative Forms: Discourse-Level.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Najat Alabdullah
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Structured Input ◽  
Processing Theory ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Structured Output ◽  
Short Term Effects

This research paper presents a quasi-experimental empirical study investigating the effects of structured input and structured output tasks on the acquisition of English causative forms. This research is framed on VanPatten’s (1996) input processing theory. The grammatical form chosen for this investigation is affected by a processing strategy called the First Noun Principle. There are three variables included that make this study significant. These variables are having participants that are young learners who speak Arabic as an L1 and using discourse-level instrumentation. These variables make this study significant because the studies that investigated the effectiveness of structured input practice with these variables are in the minority. The study’s main questions are: (i) What are the short-term effects of structured input and structured output on the acquisition of English causative forms as measured with discourse-level interpretation tasks? (ii) What are the short-term effects of structured input and structured output on the learners’ ability to acquire the English causative forms as measured with discourse-level production tasks? Participants were school-age learners (aged 12-13) from an Arabic background with Arabic as an L1 who studied English as a second language in Kuwait. A pre and post-test procedure was adopted in this study. Two instructional groups were created, which are: (i) structured input; (ii) structured output. Discourse-level tasks were used in the study to assess the effectiveness of the two instructional treatments. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. The main findings support the view that discourse-level structured input tasks are a useful pedagogical intervention in helping young L2 learners from an Arabic background with Arabic as an L1 to process, interpret and produce accurate English causative forms. The main findings have theoretical and pedagogical implications for language learning and teaching.

scholarly journals Students’ Perception Towards National Examination 2017: Computer-Based Test or Paper-Based Test

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4-1) ◽  
pp. 139-143
Author(s):  
◽  
Waode Ade Sarasmita Uke ◽  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Negative Side ◽  
Multiple Choice Tests ◽  
National Examination ◽  
Choice Tests ◽  
Computer Based

Abstract Today, technological development has given a new lease of life in language learning and teaching field. Particularly in terms of evaluation, some schools in Indonesia conduct national examination using computer-based test. Traditionally, testing in a class involves paper-based test which is familiar to students. A substantial number of studies have been conducted to compare both of the tests. The researcher investigated what activities were performed by the students throughout the tests, what kind of multiple choice tests the students prefer to do, and what the positive and negative side of those tests. This study presents a wonder share quiz creator (WSQC) program to facilitate the teachers to design a test. The data was collected by questionnaire, interview, observation, and quiz. In this study, the authors concluded that students in senior high school of Kendari prefer paper-based test for national examination.

scholarly journals Shaping the quality of second language learning: Students’ perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 01071
Author(s):  
Irina M. Solodkova ◽  
Elena V. Grigorieva ◽  
Liliya R. Ismagilova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Learning And Teaching

The paper dwells on the problem of identifying the most crucial factors affecting the quality of foreign language learning from the students’ perspective. Quality foreign language education is a disputable issue in 21 century due to the increased global workforce competition. Human capital has a great impact on education as an important factor in shaping a new quality of country’s economy and well-being of society. Foreign language skill is an integral component of highly qualified professionals as the global economic processes make them participate in cross-border business communication. In these conditions the aim of higher education establishments is to provide quality of language learning and teaching that allows future specialists not to distort the meaning in written and oral communication within their professional framework. The two-phase survey conducted among 67 students of the Institute of Management, Economics and Finance of the Kazan Federal University provided with quantitative data. The respondents ranked differently the factors determining the quality of language learning and teaching responses after two years of completing their foreign language education and were generally satisfied with the quality of service rendered. The obtained results give optimistic forecasts regarding the improvement of foreign language education and help reconsider the way of teaching a foreign language basing on the chosen factors.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Students’ Perceptions in Implementation 2013 Curriculum on Senior High School English Language Teaching (ELT) in Bojonegoro

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Mohammad Fatoni ◽  
Moh. Zainuddin
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Senior High School ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
High School English ◽  
Learning And Teaching

Abstract: This study aims to analyze students’ perception in implementation of the 2013 curriculum on senior high school English language teaching (ELT) in Bojonegoro in (1) How are the students’ perceptions of the 2013 curriculum in terms of the learning process senior high school English language teaching?(2) How are the students' perceptions on the 2013 curriculum in terms of learning support in senior high school English language teaching?. Results of the analysis of students' perceptions of the 2013 curriculum in English Language Learning and Teaching in terms of the learning process and learning support, they were answered with a questionnaire. The learning process shows the following results: knowledge-perception (81%), exploration (84%), consolidation of learning (81%), the formation of attitudes and behavior (84%), formative assessment (81%), and learning support as follows: teacher quality (97%), student quality (90%) facility quality (68%). It can be concluded that the students' perceptions about the 2013 curriculum were positive, with the percentage strongly agreeing or very suitable between 76% -100%. Keywords: 2013 Curriculum; Students’ Perceptions; English Language Teaching (ELT); Qualitative Research Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis persepsi siswa dalam implementasi kurikulum 2013 pada pengajaran bahasa Inggris di sekolah menengah atas (ELT) di Bojonegoro dalam (1) Bagaimana persepsi siswa terhadap kurikulum 2013 ditinjau dari proses pembelajaran pada pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di SMA? (2) Bagaimana persepsi siswa terhadap kurikulum 2013 dalam hal dukungan pembelajaran pada pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di SMA ?. Hasil analisis persepsi siswa terhadap kurikulum 2013 dalam Pembelajaran dan Pengajaran Bahasa Inggris ditinjau dari proses pembelajaran dan penunjang pembelajaran dijawab dengan angket. Proses pembelajaran menunjukkan hasil sebagai berikut: pengetahuan-persepsi (81%), eksplorasi (84%), konsolidasi pembelajaran (81%), pembentukan sikap dan perilaku (84%), penilaian formatif (81%) dan dukungan pembelajaran sebagai berikut: kualitas guru (97%), kualitas siswa (90%) kualitas fasilitas (68%). Dapat disimpulkan bahwa persepsi siswa terhadap kurikulum 2013 adalah positif dengan persentase sangat setuju atau sangat sesuai antara 76% -100%. Kata Kunci: Kurikulum 2013; Persepsi Siswa; Pengajaran Bahasa Inggris (ELT); Penelitian kualitatif 

scholarly journals Social Anxiety in Japanese Learners: Implications for English Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
David Ostman ◽  
Larry Xethakis
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Education ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Private University ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
First Year ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Explanatory Sequential Design ◽  
Japanese Learners

The role of affect in language learning remains an under-examined area of inquiry. While research into foreign language anxiety has progressed, as more interaction-focused methodologies are employed in the classroom the influence of social anxiety on learners’ attitudes towards language learning should receive more attention. The current study adopted an explanatory sequential design to examine feelings of social anxiety among first-year university students (n = 810) at a private university in Western Japan enrolled in an oral communication course heavily emphasizing student interaction. Survey data revealed a significant decrease in anxiety, and corpus analysis of student responses revealed the importance of learners’ familiarity with classmates in reducing feelings of unease. These results suggest that social dimensions play an important role in helping learners cope with interactional anxiety. They also suggest that strategies for reducing social anxiety should be a focus of further inquiry. 言語学習における情意の役割は、まだ十分に研究されていない分野である。外国語不安に関する研究は進んできてはいるが、教室でのやりとりに焦点をあわせた方法論が多く採用されるにつれ、社会不安が学習者の言語学習態度に与える影響によりいっそう注目すべきと考える。本研究では、西日本の私立大学において、学生との対話を重視したオーラルコミュニケーションコースに在籍する大学1年生（n=810）を対象に、説明的順次デザインを用いて学生の社会不安感を調査した。結果として、不安感は顕著に減少し、学生の回答をコーパス分析したところ、不安感の減少にはクラスメートとの親密さが重要であることが明らかになった。これらの結果は、学習者が社交不安に対処する上で、社会的側面が重要な役割を果たしていることを示している。加えて社会不安を軽減するための方略が、今後の研究の焦点となるべきであることも示唆している。

The Effect of Using Short Stories on Vocabulary Learning of Iranian EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 1476
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Parvareshbar ◽  
Behrooz Ghoorchaei
Keyword(s):  
Short Stories ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

This study aimed at investigating the effect of using short stories on enhancing vocabulary learning of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. The purpose of the study was to come up with new methods of enhancing learners’ vocabulary which enable both teachers and students to better cope with language learning and teaching. The design of the study is of quasi-experimental pretest-posttest. The participants were in two classes each of which had 25 students. One of the classes was considered as the control group and the other one was considered as the experimental group. The analysis of data using independent samples t-test showed that there was no significant difference between two groups at the outset of the study. After the treatment period, a posttest was given to both groups to see if there was a significant difference between the two groups. The magnitude of sig (2-tailed) on posttest was 0.01 that is lower than 0.05. Therefore, the difference is significant and the experimental group outperformed the control group. This can be attributed to the effect of using short stories on improving vocabulary performance of learners. The results have some implications for language teachers and materials developers.

scholarly journals Corpus Linguistics

2014 ◽  
pp. 1129-1144
Author(s):  
Angeline M. Madongonda ◽  
Sithembeni Denhere
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Computer Aided

This chapter is an attempt to investigate the possibility of integrating computer-assisted ESL (English as a Second Language) learning and teaching in the Zimbabwean high school. With the ever-growing number of schools acquiring computers, even in the rural areas, quite a significant number of high schools in Zimbabwe are now ready to implement language programmes like corpus-based studies. The research attempts to show how concordancing technology could be integrated in ESL learning and teaching by including some practical activities using a computer. Findings after the study have indicated that computer-aided language programmes do help in ESL, and incorporating Corpus Linguistics would bring a major boost to students' (and teachers') ESL levels at a much faster rate than conventional methods. If such programmes were to be integrated in the high school, then the computer would become an indispensable teaching and learning tool.

scholarly journals TEACHING STUDENT'S SPEAKING ABILITY USING TIME TOKEN ARENDS

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 454
Author(s):  
Mira Nurjanah ◽  
Ahmad Hambali ◽  
Sri Supiah Cahyati
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
High School ◽  
New York ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Survey Research ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Survey Research Methods

Speaking is one of skills that should be mastered by all of students who learn English. However, passive students face some difficulties in speaking. They are less confident, so they difficult to talk in present of the class. Regarding this, the teacher should teach using appropriate strategy to improve students’ speaking ability and to increase their confidence. This research was conducted to find out whether Time Token Arends can improve students’ speaking ability. This research was arranged using Classroom Action Research. The  sample taken by using purposive sampling technique. The writers took 32 students of class X IPS 1 in one of a senior high school in Cianjur as the sample of this research. The result showed that Time Token Arends can improve students’speaking ability, especially in encouraging passive students become active students.Aratry. S, Rumiri, A. & Desri, M. S. (2017). The Effect of Please Strategy on the Ability of the first year Students of SMPN 5 Pekan baru in Paragraph writing. FKIP Universitas Riau.Arends, R. (2009). Learning to teach. United States: McGraw Hill.Arikunto, S. (2013). Prosedur Penelitian. Jakarta: PT. Rineka Cipta.Babie, E. (1990). Survey Research Methods (2nd ed.). California: Wadsworth Publishing company, 2nd ed.Brown, H. D. (2001). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (5 editions). New York: Pearson Education Inc.Hatch, E. M., & Farhady, H. (1982). Research design and statistics for applied linguitics. Rowley, Mass: Newbury House.

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