scholarly journals Second Language Learning and the Clash of Civilizations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Salwa Al harthi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Clash Of Civilizations ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Arab Muslim ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This researchinvestigates the relationship amongsecond language learning, identity, culture, and motivation in Saudi Arabia (SA). SA’s education system concentrates on teaching, while identity and social aspects have only been given little attention. The researcher seeks to redress this balance by exploring the impact of pupils’ negative views toward the linguistic communities and of themselves as Muslim pupils. It aims to investigate how negative views toward the English language speaking communities could affect or demotivate Arab Muslim female learners to learn the language. The researcher supports the arguments using a qualitative approach and data drawn from pupils’ focus group interviews and one-to-one teachers’ interviews. The current study involves 132 second-year pupils from a secondary public school in Taif city, in SA and three Saudi English language teachers.The findings indicate the impact of various social factors relevant to the Saudi identity and culture on pupils’ English as a second language (ESL) learning in the Saudi context. Participants’ beliefs and practices of ESL appear to be influenced by certain negative views towardthe English- speaking communities.Finally, the study recommends extending the setting of the sample for future study to include more than one city in order to compare cultural and social attributes that impact ESL, ascultures and identities vary from one area to another in SA.

scholarly journals Gamified Learning: Are Vietnamese EFL Learners Ready Yet?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (24) ◽  
pp. 242
Author(s):  
Huyen Thi Thanh Phuong
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
English Education ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Gamified Learning ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
The Relationship

Given the strong empirical evidence in the field of education that confirms the relationship between the application of game elements and increased learning motivation, gamification has recently become a concept that starts drawing attention in the field of English language teaching (ELT). However, the topic of gamification is still under-presented in ELT research, especially in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. The current research ex-plores the extent to which Vietnamese EFL learners are familiar to online gamification tools and their attitudes toward online-based gamified learn-ing. The study draws on data collected from survey questionnaires and fo-cus group interviews. Participants involved 147 students who participated in the survey; 12 volunteers among the surveyed students joined focus group interviews. The findings indicate that gamification has started taking a certain role in English learning both within and beyond classrooms. Also, students’ attitudes towards gamified learning are positive. Pedagogical im-plications regarding the application of gamified learning in improving the efficacy of English education in Vietnam and similar EFL contexts are also discussed.

scholarly journals Language Learning Exposure and Grammatical Proficiency of Intermediate Pupils

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-74
Author(s):  
Marz Kimberly T. Salas ◽  
Ma. Judy B. Legaspi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Catholic School ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Holistic Process ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

The Philippines is recognized globally as one of the largest English-speaking nations. The majority of its population has at least some degree of fluency in the language. Filipinos are exposed to the heavy usage of English, not just in school but also in their everyday lives. Exposing elementary pupils to different language learning sources (home, friends, school, and media) can help them acquire the language more easily. Thus, the second-language acquisition is a holistic process, which means acquiring the second language is not confined within the four walls of the classroom. This paper describes the extent of language learning exposure and the level of grammatical proficiency of Grade 6 pupils of a Catholic school in Bacolod City. Similarly, it explores the difference in the pupils' extent of language learning exposure and level of grammatical proficiency. Also, it determines the relationship between language learning exposure and grammatical proficiency.   

scholarly journals The relationship between students’ second language learning anxiety and language proficiency

10.32698/0141 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Asnadia Binti Alias ◽  
Nur Atikah Binti Noor Rashid
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Language Learning Anxiety ◽  
Spearman Test ◽  
The Relationship

Students in Malaysian Polytechnics must enrol in a second language course as one of the compulsory courses offered by the institution. There is no placement test for polytechnics students to enrol in English language class. Therefore, students with different level of proficiency are mixed together in a classroom to learn English language. Consequently, students encountered difficulties in learning the second language due to feeling of anxiety. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the correlation between students’ language learning anxiety and their language proficiency. This study involved of 96 semester three students from Civil Engineering Department, Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin which have been chosen randomly. A 33 item questionnaire of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was analysed using SPSS 22. The study revealed that the students experienced moderate level of language learning anxiety. Correlations – Spearman Test was used to determine the relationship between students’ second language learning anxiety and language proficiency. Three types of anxiety was tested which are Test Anxiety, Communication Apprehension and Fear of Negative Evaluation. Correlations – Spearman Test demonstrated that only Test Anxiety showed significant relationship with students’ language proficiency. Several implications have been discussed to offer suggestions to the lecturers in dealing with students learning anxiety. Lecturers should be careful in correcting students’ error to avoid students feel humiliated. This is because students tend to feel anxious whenever lecturers correct their mistakes in the classroom. A further research should be carried out by using two approaches; qualitative and quantitative and adds more variables such as attitude and motivation towards learning a second language.

scholarly journals LANGUAGE CAMP IN MALAYSIA: ASNAF STUDENTS’ NEEDS AND PERCEPTION

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-295
Author(s):  
Nur Yasmin Khairani Binti Zakaria ◽  
Maslawati Mohamad ◽  
Fazilah Idris
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Addie Model

Purpose of the study: This study aims to identify Asnaf students’ needs in language learning and their perception of the implementation of the language camp module that had been developed by researchers using the ADDIE model Methodology: In-depth analysis of focus group interviews with Asnaf students was conducted, and the data obtained were analysed thematically according to several categories Main Findings and Novelty: The findings of this study revealed that students believed that their anxiety was lowered when they were given the opportunity to cooperate with their friends in a fully immersive and fun English language learning context Applications of this study: The modules and the findings of this study could be used by any English language educators to conduct English language camps especially to Asnaf children who stay in charity homes.

scholarly journals Exposure to a second language in infancy alters speech production

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 978-991
Author(s):  
Megha Sundara ◽  
Nancy Ward ◽  
Barbara Conboy ◽  
Patricia K. Kuhl
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Early Exposure ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Impact ◽  
English Monolingual

AbstractWe evaluated the impact of exposure to a second language on infants’ emerging speech production skills. We compared speech produced by three groups of 12-month-old infants while they interacted with interlocutors who spoke to them in Spanish and English: monolingual English-learning infants who had previously received 5 hours of exposure to a second language (Spanish), English- and Spanish-learning simultaneous bilinguals, and monolingual English-learning infants without any exposure to Spanish. Our results showed that the monolingual English-learning infants with short-term exposure to Spanish and the bilingual infants, but not the monolingual English-learning infants without exposure to Spanish, flexibly matched the prosody of their babbling to that of a Spanish- or English-speaking interlocutor. Our findings demonstrate the nature and extent of benefits for language learning from early exposure to two languages. We discuss the implications of these findings for language organization in infants learning two languages.

scholarly journals Are Saudi Girls Motivated to Learn English?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Salwa Al harthi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Possible Selves ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Teacher Interviews ◽  
Local Identities ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This paper is based on data drawn from Ph.D. research investigating the relationship between language and motivation. It specifically describes the motivating and demotivating factors that influence young female language learners in the Saudi context. This study aims to investigate what factors could motivate female learners of ESL classrooms. Further, the author utilizes sociocultural theory to explore what factors could affect participants’ motivation as female Muslim Arabs. She also supportsher arguments using data drawn from classroom observations, pupil focus group interviews and one-to-one teacher interviews. The current study involves 132 second-year pupils from a secondary public school in Taif city and three Saudi English language teachers.The findings indicate the impact of various social factors relevant to the Saudi identity, culture and everyday life on girls’ ESL learning in the Saudi context. Participants’ beliefs and practices of ESL appear to be influenced by certain imaginative views towards their local identities and cultures, their possible selves in the future, and the linguistic communities. In addition, findings regarding autonomy indicate that identity and culture attributes affects teachers’ and learners’ roles in the classroom and their motivation both inside andoutside the classroom. Finally, the study recommends extending the setting of the sample for future study to include more than one city in order to compare cultural and social attributes that impact ESL, ascultures and identities vary from one area to another in Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals The Impact of Metamemory on the EFL Students` Achievement at Taif University

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 300
Author(s):  
Nasrah Mahmoud Ismaiel
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Female Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Preparatory Year ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of the current research is to scrutinize the relationship between metamemory and EFL learners` achievement. The participants were 250 first year university students who were chosen from a large sample of the preparatory year Science and Humanities streams at Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia. The objective of the research is twofold: (a) to assess whether metamemory can predict English language skills achievement (listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and (b) to assess if there exist notable discrepancies between male and female students and the different academic streams (the science stream and the humanities stream) on the metamemory factors. Students` metamemory was measured by the Metamemory questionnaire (SMSQ) of Tonkovic and Vranic (2011). The results of this study show that metamemory is a good predictor of the EFL students` language learning skills achievement. It also indicates that there are differences between male and female students on the metamemory factors in favor of females. Furthermore, the findings reaffirm that there are differences between the academic streams, in favor of the science stream.  

scholarly journals SELF-PERCEIVED COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE AND DEMOTIVATION

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanis Kamarudin ◽  
Nur Ain Abdul Malek ◽  
Wan Nazihah Wan Mohamed ◽  
Siti Ainul Ayzan Ayub
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Pearson Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
The Relationship

Scholars in language learning have recently taken an interest in self-perceived communicative competence (SPCC) and demotivation, albeit the relationship between these notions is rarely investigated. In Malaysia, many educators have encountered students who are unwilling to use their second language for communication and the reasons behind it could be determined by different demotivating factors. Thus, the association between the students' SPCC and demotivation was explored in this present study, specifically in the English language classes. A total of 250 diploma students of Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kelantan (UiTMCK) participated in the study in which the data were collected via SPCC and a demotivation questionnaire. Notably, SPCC was negatively associated with demotivation based on the Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The study’s outcomes showed that as part of the effort to minimise the English as a Second Language (ESL) students' demotivation, educators are encouraged to develop the students' competency in communicating.

scholarly journals Students’ Attitude towards Teachers’ Use Of Code-Switching and Its Impact on Learning English

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 212
Author(s):  
Ahmer Rauf
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Target Language ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Learning Situation ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

The ability of using two languages simultaneously with native like proficiency is called bilingualism. The present study explores the attitude of the students towards the use of code-switching, the relationship between code-switching and its effects on students’ learning and the impact of Urdu-English code-switching on students’ proficiency in target language. In Pakistan, no proper attention is ever paid to the different aspects of bilingual code-switching in classroom and it is the need of the hour to develop an in-depth understanding of bilingual code-switching in particular Pakistani context and to get insight into the importance of different usages and functions of bilingual code-switching in Pakistani ELT classrooms. The researcher has gone for the quantitative approach to achieve the objectives of this study as it renders the research to produce calculated and generalizable results. So, a questionnaire comprising of 35 questionnaire items on Likert Scale was designed to collect data from 400 male and female intermediate ESL learners and the collected data were analyzed through SPSS version XX. The study provides identifying motivational challenges in the use of bilingual (English-Urdu) code-switching and in taking a more realistic perspective about the ELL (English Language Learning) situation in the country.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE-ANALYTIC ABILITY IN CHILDREN’S INSTRUCTED SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1111-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Roehr-Brackin ◽  
Angela Tellier
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Metalinguistic Awareness ◽  
Children's Achievement ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Cognitive Maturity ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractLanguage-analytic ability, or the ability to treat language as an object of analysis and arrive at linguistic generalizations, is at the core of the constructs of language learning aptitude and metalinguistic awareness, which are implicated in our ability to learn explicitly. In the context of child second language (L2) learning, it has been argued that children learn primarily implicitly and that the most important component of aptitude may be memory ability. However, no empirical research to date has investigated the relationship and development of aptitude and metalinguistic awareness longitudinally as well as examined their predictive power for children’s L2 achievement in the classroom. In a study with English-speaking learners aged 8–9 (N = 111), we found that although aptitude and metalinguistic awareness were (still) dynamic, they significantly predicted children’s achievement in L2 French. Moreover, language-analytic ability proved to be the component with the strongest predictive power. This finding suggests that it may not be level of cognitive maturity alone that determines children’s approach to L2 learning; experiencing explicit, form-focused instruction may foster the role of language-analytic ability even in children as young as 8–9 years.

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