The Role of Positive Psychology in English Foreign Language Classroom

The role of corrective feedback in second language classrooms has received considerable research attention in the past few decades. However, most of this research has been conducted in English-teaching settings, either ESL or EFL. This study examined teacher feedback, learner uptake as well as learner and teacher perception of feedback in an adult Chinese as a foreign language classroom. Ten hours of classroom interactions were videotaped, transcribed and coded for analysis. Lyster and Ranta’s (1997) coding system involving six types of feedback was initially used to identify feedback frequency and learner uptake. However, the teacher was found to use a number of additional feedback types. Altogether, 12 types of feedback were identified: recasts, delayed recasts, clarification requests, translation, metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, explicit correction, asking a direct question, repetition, directing question to other students, re-asks, and using L1-English. Differences were noted in the frequency of some of the feedback types as well as learner uptake compared to what had been reported in some previous ESL and EFL studies. With respect to the new feedback types, some led to noticeable uptake. As for the students’ and teacher’s perceptions, they did not match and both the teacher and the students were generally not accurate in perceiving the frequency of each feedback type. The findings are discussed in terms of the role of context in affecting the provision and effectiveness of feedback and its relationship to student and teacher perception of feedback.

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Teachers' Attitudes toward and Use of Translation in the Foreign Language Classroom at Institutions of Higher Education in Croatia

Theory and Practice in Language Studies ◽

10.17507/tpls.0808.02 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 906

Author(s):

Mladen Marinac ◽

Iva Barić

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Foreign Languages ◽

Tertiary Level ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Language For Specific Purposes ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Foreign Language Classroom ◽

Teachers Attitudes

The role of translation in the foreign language classroom has been changing, but it still remains a contentious issue. The long-lasting debate whether students of foreign languages might benefit from the use of translation in class might have made practitioners insecure in relation to whether using translation is beneficial or not, what methods are best and when to use translation. The aim of this study is to investigate EFL practitioners’ perspective on translation in teaching foreign languages. Specifically, it explores language for specific purposes (LSP) teachers’ attitudes toward translation at tertiary-level institutions in Croatia. The data were collected by means of an online questionnaire using snowball sampling method in order to reach a greater number of teachers. The respondents were English, German and Italian LSP teachers from a variety of tertiary-level institutions. The study revealed that in the Croatian context the majority of LSP teachers use translation in language teaching, however, there seems to be a lack of certainty about its usefulness. In addition, LSP teachers' approach to translation appears to be rather traditional given there is no diversity in the methods mentioned.

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THE ROLE OF ORAL PRESENTATION IN DEVELOPING ORAL PRODUCTION SKILLS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

INTED2020 Proceedings ◽

10.21125/inted.2020.2349 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Pinelopi Krystalli

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Oral Presentation ◽

Oral Production ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Foreign Language Classroom

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Self-Discovery Through the Experiential Co-Construction of Life Stories in the Foreign Language Classroom

Journal of Experiential Education ◽

10.1177/1053825918785396 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 341-355

Author(s):

Mary Masterson

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Cultural Awareness ◽

Life Stories ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Early Stages ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Foreign Language Classroom ◽

Self Discovery

Background: Although culture is deeply embedded in language, cultural proficiency is not always gained during language learning. Experiential pedagogies that emphasize reflection may be appropriate for such learning. Purpose: This research explored pupils’ self-awareness as they engaged in the co-construction of personal life stories in one experiential pedagogy, the Autobiography, Biography, and Cross-cultural analyses (ABCs) model. Methodology/Approach: The ABCs methodology was implemented across two secondary-level foreign language classrooms, one of Irish students learning German, and the other of German students learning English utilizing a case study approach. Student writing products generated during early stages of the implementation were analyzed for themes related to self-discovery and cultural awareness, to explore how students negotiated self-image as they experienced cultural exchanges with the cross-cultural partner. Findings/Conclusions: Thematic analysis revealed that in the early stages students’ understanding of the role of culture in their own identities was absent. Implications: Teaching culture alongside language is challenging, especially in an online format. The current study demonstrates that language students do not necessarily show awareness of the self and the role of culture at the outset of the intervention. It also shows how the ABCs model can foster experiential learning in a foreign language classroom setting toward greater cultural awareness through self-discovery.

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Anxiety and Enjoyment in the Foreign Language Classroom

East-West Cultural Passage ◽

10.2478/ewcp-2019-0007 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 107-121

Author(s):

Ewelina Mierzwa

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Language Acquisition ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Learning Process ◽

Dynamic Approach ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽

Foreign Language Classroom

Abstract To balance the research that has been carried out on negative emotions, the researchers in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) have recently focused on the role of positive academic emotions and their role in the process of acquiring a foreign language (FL). The aim of the present article is to examine the relationships between foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and students’ academic achievement in English in order to prove that these two emotions do not constitute opposite dimensions but may converge and diverge from time to time during the learning process. This article calls for a more dynamic approach to studying emotions and investigating whether and to what extent these two emotions may mutually shape one another and thus affect learners’ achievement in the foreign language classroom.

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