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.

scholarly journals Teaching and Learning Vocabulary: What English Language Learners Perceive to Be Effective and Ineffective Strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Seyyed Hatam Tamimi Sa’d ◽  
Fereshte Rajabi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Strategy Training ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Language Teachers

Vocabulary constitutes an essential part of every language-learning endeavour and deserves scholarly attention. The objective of the present study was three-fold: 1) exploring Iranian English language learners’Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs), 2) examining language learners’ perceptions of vocabulary learning, and 3) exploring Iranian English language teachers’ Vocabulary Teaching Strategies (VTSs). In total, 145  intermediate learners of English as a foreign language, consisting of 114 males and 31 females aged 15 to 27, participated in the study. The triangulated data were collected using three tools: questionnaires, interviews, and class observations. Sixty-seven learners (31 females and 36 males) filled out a 56-statement questionnaire, adopted and adapted from Takač (2008) and translated into Persian. The questionnaire comprised two parts, enquiring as to the learners’ VLSs and the teachers’ VTSs. The findings indicated that females and males differed significantly in their reported VLSs and their teachers’ use of various VTSs. Additionally, 78 learners were interviewed as to their perceptions of effective and ineffective VLSs as well as VTSs. The findings revealed that the most effective VLSs were reported to be: a) reciting, repeating and listening to words, b) using words, and c) memorising words while the most effective VTSs revolved around: a) explanation, b) repetition, and c) dictation. The observations also confirmed the findings obtained via the questionnaire and interviews. In general, the findings are indicative of the limited repertoire of vocabulary acquisition techniques employed by Iranian EFL learners, hence the need for strategy training in how to acquire vocabulary. 

Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games as English as a Foreign Language Learning Environments

2019 ◽  
pp. 162-182
Author(s):  
Hélder Fanha Martins
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
English Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Role Playing Games

The objective of this chapter is to gain a better understanding of the usefulness of massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) for promoting English as a foreign language (EFL) acquisition. To accomplish this goal, the author analyzed specific categories of interaction occurring between English language learners while playing an online game entitled Eve Online. Previous research has proved that there are positive outcomes on EFL acquisition from the interaction that takes place while playing video games known as MMORPGs. These games immerse players in virtual worlds that are inhabited by hundreds and even thousands of other players, and all are partaking in the game in real time. Learners who choose to play the game in a foreign language are exposed to target language input in a context-rich environment where they can interact with native-speakers and other language learners.

scholarly journals Recognizing Visual and Auditory Cues in the Detection of Foreign-Language Anxiety

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tammy Gregersen
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Nonverbal Behaviors ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Oral Presentations

.This study examines whether nonverbal visual and/or auditory channels are more effective in detecting foreign-language anxiety. Recent research suggests that language teachers are often able to successfully decode the nonverbal behaviors indicative of foreign-language anxiety; however, relatively little is known about whether visual and/or auditory channels are more effective. To this end, a group of 36 preservice English-language teachers were asked to view videotaped oral presentations of seven beginning English-language learners under three conditions: visual only, audio only, and a combination of visual and audio in order to judge their foreign-language anxiety status. The evidence gathered through this study did not conclusively determine the channel though which foreign-language anxiety could be most accurately decoded, but it did suggest indicators in the auditory and visual modes that could lead to more successful determination of behaviors indicative of negative affect.

Doodling the Nerves: Surfacing Language Anxiety Experiences in an English Language Classroom

RELC Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Siagto-Wakat
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
English Classroom ◽  
The Impact

This qualitative study explored the use of doodling to surface experiences in the psychological phenomenon of language anxiety in an English classroom. It treated the doodles of 192 freshmen from a premier university in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Further, it made use of phenomenological reduction in analysing the data gathered. Findings reveal that doodling can be an effective tool in surfacing experiences of a psychological phenomena, such as language anxiety, although this may not be generalizable. The gathered doodles show that English language learners go through shimming and shaming experiences, specifically, buffing, baffling, shutting, sweating and shivering, and shattering. The findings of the study can benefit teachers for they can use doodling, a non-verbal tool, in generating the classroom experiences of their students. More so, the anxiety experiences unveiled in this study will help language teachers realize the impact of language anxiety on English language learners.

scholarly journals Olowalu Review: Developing identity through translanguaging in a multilingual literary magazine

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Alex Josef Kasula
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Only ◽  
Literary Magazine ◽  
Learning Policies

With the current trends in our globalized society, there is a clear increase in multilinguals rise; however, the understanding of multilingual identity and policy towards education stays relatively the same. Recent investigation in multilingualism in the US has shed light on the positive impacts of alternating policy in language education with regard to a greater understanding in how translanguaging and identity impact the language learner and language learning policies (Garcia & Wei, 2013). The following article describes the development of an online multilingual literary magazine, Olowalu Review, that aimed to provide English language learners in an English-only language policy a space to translanguage. Thus, having the opportunity to develop and express their multilingual identities. Goals and the development of the magazine are described in terms relating to current multilingual theory. While the outcomes and findings reveal how Olowalu Review enabled multilinguals to foster and exercise multilingual identities and skills, raise multilingual awareness, and act as an important multilingual artifact through an analysis of written submissions and interviews with authors. Pedagogical implications are discussed to empower language teachers, learners, or artists to develop the same or similar project for their own local, national, or global community. 

scholarly journals Emotional, Behavioral and Cognitive Engagement in Language Learning: The Experience of the Successful Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 337
Author(s):  
Mister Gidion Maru ◽  
Christin Natalia Pajow
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Silent Period ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
British Council ◽  
North Sulawesi ◽  
Research Findings

This study aims at investigating and portraying learners’ engagement with language in the learning process. It further shares the influence of the engagement upon the success of language acquisition. This study is methodologically qualitative. The semi-structured interview is implemented based upon the attempts to elaborate seven main questions and several follow-up questions. The respondents are from Manado, North Sulawesi. They are learners whose score above 500 in TOEFL ITP or equivalence to IELTS above 6.0 as the qualification of successful English language learners. They took the test in different institutions such as the Golden Gate and the British Council. The data are then analyzed and interpreted in triangulation. The research findings showed that the engagement has shaped the success of the learners’ language acquisition. The engagement comes in the forms of emotional, behavioral and cognitive ones. Such engagements take place from the silent period to communicative competence period of acquisition. It is further found out that to ensure the success of language acquisition, the three models of engagement have to be persistently and consistently practiced and developed.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of using EyeRIS to Improve English Communication Skills of Primary Students

2020 ◽  
Vol V (II) ◽  
pp. 194-205
Author(s):  
Fareeha Javed ◽  
Saher Tariq ◽  
Sana Baig
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
School Level ◽  
Primary Students ◽  
English Language Teachers

The arrival of technology has opened doors to different opportunities. A number of institutions have integrated technology effectively in their learning environments to improve teamwork as well as to reform education as a whole. The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of EyeRIS to improve English Communication skills at the Primary School level at one of the elite private schools in Lahore, Pakistan. The study employed a qualitative structured interview for data collection. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample. The sample comprised five primary English language teachers. The findings of the study revealed that EyeRIS has a significant impact on improving the Communicative Skills of primary students. It helps to improve the receptive as well as productive skills of the primary level English language learners. Moreover, it is a powerful engagement and motivational tool in educational institutions. Overall, EyeRIS holds the potential for improving students' English language learning, academic performance as well as classroom behaviour.

scholarly journals Anxiety in English Language Learning: A Case Study of English Language Learners in Saudi Arabia

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Jamilah Mohammed Sadiq
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Specific Aspect ◽  
Language Anxiety

Language anxiety as a specific aspect of language acquisition has occupied a great body of research for the past few decades. In this study, the level of foreign language anxiety among English language learners was investigated. This study was carried out with a quantitative research design using a survey methodology to collect data about the participants’ language anxiety. The sample of the study included 100 university students from the college of Education at Princess Nora University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The participants were randomly selected. For this research study, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) was used to collect the research data. Based on the findings of the study, several implications are highlighted.

scholarly journals The Effect of Using Drama in English Language Learning among Young Learners: A Case Study of 6th Grade Female Pupils in Sakaka City

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Nasser Alasmari ◽  
Amal Alshae’el
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
English Language Classrooms

English is now the most frequently used language worldwide. In academia, English has become “a hyper central language” millions of students are learning for various reasons. As such, pedagogists, academicians, and language teachers seek new tools and teaching methods to help English language learners reach high proficiency levels. The use of drama as a teaching/learning tool in English language classrooms is one proposed method, justifying this study to investigate the effects of teaching English language through drama, thus deciphering the advantages of this experience and possible challenges it may pose. Data was gathered via an English language test and classroom observations. Results showed that the use of drama develops participants’ language skills, especially the communicative ones such as interactions and conversations, and yields higher proficiency levels as it motivates them to become more engaged in the learning process. These participants also displayed more responsibility and self-reliance; thus, much learning took place. These results confirmed the general claim that introducing drama activities in language classrooms positively supports language acquisition. However, introduction of such a tool presented a few challenges as well, such as the learners’ problems of L1 interference, embarrassment, and inhibition, as well as issues related to the unpredictable and open-ended nature of drama. This paper presents more implications of the findings that necessitate further research to gain a more comprehensive account of drama use in language classrooms and thus overcome the challenges presented.

scholarly journals Recontextualizing Quality Talk for an Eighth-Grade English Classroom in China

2020 ◽  
pp. 209653112097017
Author(s):  
Liwei Wei ◽  
P. Karen Murphy ◽  
Shenghui Wu
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Small Group ◽  
English Language ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Eighth Grade ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Language Class ◽  
English Classroom

Purpose: Conducting meaningful interactions in the target language is essential for language learning. However, in many English language classrooms in China, it is rare that students are provided with such opportunities. In the current study, we presented and critically evaluated the implementation of a small-group discussion approach called Quality Talk (QT) in an eighth-grade English language classroom in China. Design/Approach/Methods: One eighth-grade English teacher and 82 eighth-grade students in a public middle school in Beijing participated in the study using a pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design. Recordings of teacher coaching sessions and student discussions, researchers’ field notes, and participating teacher’s written reflections were used to identify successful practices and lessons learned with respect to the implementation of QT. Implications for future directions were also discussed. Findings: The results revealed that to successfully implement a discourse-intensive pedagogical approach in a large English language class, it is essential that (a) the materials used for discussion closely align with the school curriculum, (b) students are grouped heterogeneously and scaffolded to engage in discussions both in their native and target languages, and (c) student leadership be leveraged to facilitate discussion in each small group. Originality/Value: The present study delineated the details with respect to implementing a discourse-intensive pedagogical approach in an eighth-grade English classroom in China. We derived several key insights from recontextualizing QT in an English learning, large class context in China. These insights might hold the potential to improve the effectiveness of English teaching and learning in China.

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