scholarly journals Game-Based Didactic Resources as a Strategy in Foreign Language Pedagogy

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 195-211
Author(s):  
Valeria Sumonte Rojas ◽  
Lidia Fuentealba Fuentealba ◽  
Ranjeeva Ranjan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Haitian Creole

Gamification is a method widely used in recent years in the educational field to facilitate the teaching and learning process using different game elements and mechanics. The objective of this study was to analyze the use of non-digital game-based (NDGB) didactic resources as a strategy to facilitate the learning of Haitian Creole and its culture by native Chilean adult professionals. The study followed a qualitative approach, the design of which was a case study corresponding to the implementation of a Haitian Creole language learning program. Sixty Chilean adult professionals participated, of which thirty-one belonged to the police department and twenty-nine to the local health department. These professionals have to help Haitian migrants who arrive in the country without the capacity to communicate in the target language, Spanish. The instruments used in this case study were participant classroom observation and a semi structured interview, both implemented by the researchers. The results show that NDGB didactic resources facilitate language learning, favor situated work, and motivate learners to learn. In addition, it enables the co-construction of knowledge, based on collaborative work where all learners play a participatory role in the game. Participants showed greater commitment to language learning, those they have to attend to, and the needs of those they have to serve in their professional life.

scholarly journals A Case Study on the Problems and Suggestions in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning at Higher Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menderes Unal ◽  
Elif Ilhan
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Training System ◽  
Language Teachers

This study explores and identifies some reasons for the problems of foreign language learning (English) and teaching from the perspective of instructors and learners using the case study model. The data of the study was gathered by a semi-structured interview form, and the study group of the research was composed of English language instructors and graduate students at Ahi Evran University. Random sampling method was used to determine 15 instructors and 20 graduate students to face-to-face interview, and the data of the study was analysed by content analysis method, which the students and instructors agreed on students who have been problematic in language learning process. In addition to students, examination systems, instructional programs, language teachers’ qualifications and learning environments have been considered as barriers to language learning. On the other hand, students and instructors suggested starting learning/teaching English earlier, much more practice and exams on all four skills; elective courses; more practice and communication; revisions in teacher training system, considering individual differences; motivating and encouraging students; and designing well equipped language environment and teaching materials.

scholarly journals Should an Effective Language Learning Be through the Development of Just One Language Skill?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Gil Vera ◽  
Bairon Jaramillo ◽  
Nancy Cardona ◽  
María Cifuentes ◽  
Shirley Jimenez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
English Learning ◽  
English Class ◽  
Third Grade Students

This paper is intended to identify how teachers’ emphasis on writing influence the learning process in an English class, taking into account that the development of the four language skills is essential for learning a second language to gain an effective communication. this study adopts some main concepts related to English teaching and learning, which are: language skills, writing and learning process. Then, in order to recognize this educational case, this study follows a qualitative approach, a hermeneutic paradigm and a case study, using a non-participant observation, a participant observation, a semi-structured interview and some task-based learning (TBL) sessions which were observed critically by the researchers; all these data collection tools were useful to achieve the aim of this research. The aim of this study is to exhibit how the teachers’ emphasis on writing over the other language skills affects the English learning process in third grade students, at the “Institución Educativa San Cristóbal.” Among the remarkable results, it is visible that the teacher made the students develop aspects on the writing skill, but these were focused on transcription and repetition rather than comprehensible written productions.

On the Consideration of Environmental Factors and Social Milieu Effective in Iranian EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Gholam Reza Parvizi ◽  
Jafar Mashayekh ◽  
Yasser Saremi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Foreign Language Learners

It has been known that teaching and learning a language in an ESL context is by far easier than teaching and learning it in an EFL context and that learning a language must take place in a social context. Foreign language milieus are those in which students do not have enough opportunities for communication in the target language beyond their classroom settings whereas in second language contexts, the target language is readily available out there (Brown, 2001). Given the important role that language learning resources could potentially play in EFL contexts, in the present study an attempt is made to shed light on the environmental factors and resources which Iranian language learners rely on and to explore the possible resources which exist around them and of which not all of them are necessarily aware. To this end, a group of students studying in Iran Language Institute in Shiraz was chosen. The data of the study were gathered through a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The findings suggested that they rely on very few resources outside the classroom setting. In addition, it was revealed that in an EFL context, such as Iran, there is a range of resources which foreign language learners could rely on and which could present them with opportunities in all four language skills. 

scholarly journals Teachers' Perspective on Strategy for Teaching English Vocabulary to Young Learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Rahma Deni ◽  
Fahriany Fahriany
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Learning Center ◽  
Real Thing ◽  
Young Learners

<p>Teaching and learning vocabulary is an integral part of foreign language learning since it is the basic sub-skill for someone who wants to learn a foreign language. Thus, it is essential to teach English vocabulary at an early age since students still in the scope of their golden age, and they could learn everything easily. In this case, the teachers' teaching strategy seems essential to be concerned. Moreover, this descriptive qualitative study as a case study is designed to explore the Qur'an Learning Center teachers' perspective on the strategy used to teach vocabulary to young learners. The data were gathered through a semi-structured interview with two English Teachers at the Qur'an Learning Center, one of the elementary schools in Jakarta Selatan. The result of this study revealed that teachers believe that teaching strategy is essential for teaching vocabulary to young learners. Thus, the teachers have various strategies that can be applied for teaching vocabulary to young learners, for example, using games, sing a song, and others. Also, the teachers used interesting media like video, a real thing, pictures, and others. Those strategies are effective in engaging students to learn new vocabulary in English. This study is expected to give reference and knowledge for the English teacher who teaches young learners so they could implement some suitable ways with their real class.</p>

scholarly journals Enacting alternatives to nationalist essentialising in language learning: Students’ voices

2021 ◽  
pp. 001458582098650
Author(s):  
Gloria De Vincenti ◽  
Angela Giovanangeli
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Alternative Approaches

Researchers examining nationalistic conceptions of language learning argue that nationalist essentialism often shapes the way languages are taught by educators and understood by learners. While numerous studies focus on how frameworks informed by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and intercultural education offer alternative approaches to national stereotyping, these studies tend to focus on theoretical approaches, teacher perspectives or innovative teaching and learning resources. The literature to date, however, does not provide case studies on student responses to activities designed by the teacher to open up the classroom with opportunities that move beyond essentialist representations. This article responds to the need for such scholarship and presents a case study involving a focus group with tertiary students in an Italian language and culture subject. It reveals some of the ways in which students enacted and reflected upon alternatives to nationalist essentialising as a result of language learning activities that had been informed by the discursive processes of CDA. The findings suggest that students demonstrated skills and attitudes such as curiosity, subjectivities and connections with broader social contexts. Some of the data also indicates student engagement in critical inquiry and their potential for social agency.

scholarly journals Inverse translation and the language student: A case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-193
Author(s):  
Lucía Pintado Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Inverse Translation ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article explores the agency of the student in translation in language teaching and learning (or TILT). The purpose of the case study discussed here is to gain an overview of students’ perceptions of translation into the foreign language (FL) (also known as “inverse translation”) following a module on language and translation, and to analyse whether there is any correlation between students’ attitude to translation, its impact on their language learning through effort invested, and the improvement of language skills. The results of the case study reveal translation to be a potentially exciting skill that can be central to FL learning and the analysis gives indications of how and why language teachers may optimise the implementation of translation in the classroom. The outcome of the study suggests that further research is needed on the impact of translation in the language classroom focussing on both teachers’ expectations and students’ achievements.

scholarly journals Rethink about Heritage Language Learning: A Case Study of Children’s Mandarin Chinese learning at a Community Language School in Ontario, Canada

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Du
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Literacy Learning ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Knowledge Mobilization ◽  
Heritage Language Learning ◽  
Children's Literacy ◽  
And Migration

On-going knowledge mobilization and migration take place on a daily basis in the globalized world. Canada is a multilingual and multicultural country with a large number of visitors and immigrants. One in five Canadian speaks a foreign language other than English and French (Postmedia News, 2012). This case study examined six-year-old Chinese children’s heritage language learning in a community school from multiliteracies perspective using observations, interviews, and artefacts to understand children’s literacy learning. The findings indicated that Chinese children’s literacy learning was not in the traditional repetitive way but involved multimodal communication at school. Useful implications are made for heritage language educators regarding ways to support meaningful heritage language teaching and learning.  

scholarly journals Case Study of the Commercially Published ELT materials in Foundation of English Course Books 1 & 2

IIUC Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
pp. 173-182
Author(s):  
Md Yousuf Uddin Khaled Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Global Markets ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
The Right

Brumfit (1979) has suggested that many commercially published ELT materials are little more than ‘masses of rubbish, skilfully marketed’. He perhaps rejects most of the published materials. However, in reality, it is observed that these ELT resources are the only available alternatives in the contexts where infra-structural limitations of language classrooms and the inefficiency of the language-teachers make the goal of language learning and teaching unreachable or unattainable for many of the learners. This paper, through a case study, aims at justifying the use of commercially published ELT coursebooks that are designed and used, considering the limitations and problems of the personally produced materials by untrained teachers. Nevertheless, these materials must consider the local market rather than the global markets so that they meet the needs of the local language learners and instructors. The case study implies that it is the selection or adaptation of the right materials for the specific learners that makes them effective or ineffective. It also suggests that the personally designed or locally produced materials too may make teaching and learning difficult and impossible sometimes.IIUC Studies Vol.10 & 11 December 2014: 173-182

scholarly journals Valoración del uso de la plataforma virtual Moodle como recurso pedagógico en la enseñanza universitaria de la informática

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Claro-Vásquez
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Virtual Platform ◽  
The University ◽  
Trabajo Colaborativo ◽  
Estudiantes Universitarios

ResumenEl presente artículo describio las valoraciones que hacen los docentes sobre los usos de la plataforma virtual como un recurso de enseñanza y aprendizaje en los cursos de informática de la Universidad de Santander, sede Cúcuta.  Para la recolección de la información necesaria para la investigación se empleó una encuesta aplicada a ocho profesores pertenecientes al Departamento de Sistemas de la Universidad. Esta encuesta se complementó con una entrevista semiestructurada centrada en las experiencias subjetivas de tres docentes. Entre los resultados más relevantes aparece que los profesores que participaron en el estudio utilizan frecuentemente la plataforma virtual como complemento para el desarrollo de sus cursos. El manejo apropiado de la plataforma se lleva a cabo como un proceso dinámico e interactivo de tal manera que el profesor constituye la base fundamental de la construcción de ideas en su entorno y muestra que el uso de la plataforma virtual en la formación de los estudiantes universitarios ha logrado que se reflexione sobre las técnicas elementales de la educación y puedan ser aplicadas en los procesos de enseñanza basados en la formación virtual.Palabras clave: recursos pedagógicos, espacios virtuales de aprendizaje, plataforma virtual Moodle, trabajo colaborativo Assessment of the use of the Moodle virtual platform as a pedagogical resource in the university teaching of computer scienceAbstractThis article describes teachers’ assessments regarding the uses of the virtual platform as a teaching and learning resource in informatics courses of the University of Santander, Cúcuta. As a means of collecting the information necessary for the investigation, a survey of eight professors belonging to the Systems Department of the university was carried out. This survey was complemented by a semi-structured interview centered on the subjective experiences of three teachers. Among the most relevant results, it appears that the professors who participated in the study frequently use the virtual platform as a complement for the development of their courses. The appropriate management of the platform is executed as a dynamic and interactive process, in such a way that the teacher functions as the fundamental basis for the construction of ideas in its environment. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the use of the virtual platform in the training of university students has managed to reflect on the elementary techniques of education and can be applied in teaching processes based on virtual training.Keywords: pedagogical resources, virtual learning spaces, Moodle virtual platform, collaborative work, Valoração do uso da plataforma virtual Moodle como recurso pedagógico no ensino universitário da informática.Avaliação do uso da plataforma virtual Moodle como recurso pedagógico no ensino Universitário de informáticaResumoResumo: Este artigo descreve as avaliações feitas pelos professores sobre os usos da plataforma virtual como recurso de ensino e aprendizagem nos cursos de informática da Universidade de Santander, Cúcuta. Para a recolha das informações necessárias para a investigação, foi utilizada uma pesquisa aplicada a oito professores pertencentes ao Departamento de Sistemas da Universidade. Esta pesquisa foi complementada por uma entrevista semi-estruturada centrada nas experiências subjetivasde três professores. Entre os resultados mais relevantes, parece que os professores que participaram no estudo freqüentemente usam a plataforma virtual como complemento para o desenvolvimento de seuscursos. O gerenciamento apropriado da plataforma é realizado como um processo dinâmico e interativo, de tal forma que o professor é a base fundamental da construção de idéias em seu ambiente e mostra que o uso da plataforma virtual na formação de estudantes universitários conseguiu refletir sobre as técnicas elementares de educação e pode ser aplicado em processos de ensino baseados em treinamento virtual.Palavras-chave: recursos pedagógicos, espaços virtuais de aprendizagem, plataforma virtual Moodle, trabalho colaborativo 

scholarly journals A Study of Language Anxiety among English Language Learners in Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Badia Muntazer Hakim
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Self Awareness

Classroom anxiety is a recurrent phenomenon for language learners. There are various factors that cause language anxiety, the most common of which include learners’ excessive self-consciousness and self-awareness concerning their oral reproduction and performance and their peculiar, and quite often misplaced and mistaken, views and beliefs regarding different approaches. Other potential reasons for this problem could include the fear, and the consequent deterrence occasioned thereof, of encountering difficulties in language learning, specifically learners’ individual problems regarding the culture of the target language and the varying social statuses of speakers. The most important fear is, perhaps, the deterrent fear of causing damage to one’s self-identity. Therefore, while needing to paying special attention to language learners’ anxiety reactions, language teachers have a crucial role in helping their students achieve the expected performance goals in the target language. Another factor that could potentially lead to language anxiety is simply the poor command of the target language. This problem could be attributed to linguistic barriers and obstacles language learners encounter in learning and using the target language. In the current study, using a qualitative, semi-structured interview and the focus-group discussion technique, the researcher aims to investigate the factors that contribute to language anxiety among Arab language learners. It focuses on learners both within the classroom setting and without, i.e. in the social context, and recommends a number of approaches to manage and overcome this problem.

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