scholarly journals Quizlet: An Online Application to Enhance EFL Foundation Students’ Vocabulary Acquisition at Rustaq College of Education, Oman

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moza Abdullah Al-Malki

Due to the advance of technology a number of tools have emerged for the purpose of language learning. Quizlet, a language learning tool, aims to help students learn vocabulary. This study aims to investigate the impact of Quizlet on English for Foreign Language (EFL) foundation students’ vocabulary acquisition at Rustaq College of Education in the Sultanate of Oman. Specifically, this study answers one research question: How does the use of Quizlet influence EFL foundation students’ vocabulary learning at Rustaq College of Education in Oman? The foundation students were exposed to a series of Quizlet study sets containing certain topics taken from their prescribed curriculum. Within these, they learnt a number of vocabulary individually and collaboratively. Pre-and post-tests were implemented to gauge foundation students’ performances and acquisition in vocabulary. Additionally, focus groups were also conducted to investigate their vocabulary learning experience pertaining to integrating Quizlet into EFL classrooms. The findings revealed that the foundation students’ performances in vocabulary acquisition significantly increased. Although Quizlet has created a challenging and collaborative learning environment, more language skills should be incorporated in Quizlet to help students to learn vocabulary faster and in an interesting way. This study is significant as it can contribute to the English Language Teaching (ELT) literature pertaining to the innovative and technological tools that can enhance students’ language skills in the 21st century. It is also important to English teachers and their students in finding various ways of teaching and learning vocabulary in and outside classrooms.

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 210-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Rahimi ◽  
Samira Mouri

This study aimed to explore the impact of computer-assisted language learning on Iranian EFL students’ vocabulary learning. Participants of the study were 76 students – 29 males and 47 females – learning English as a foreign language in Parto, Sadr, Poyesh and Andishe Institutes in Ahvaz who were selected after taking the Nelson English Language Test as a proficiency test. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group was taken as control and the other as experimental group. Both groups participated in the teacher-made test of vocabulary, Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), and Word-Associates Test (WAT) as pre-test. During class sessions the control group was taught the vocabulary, in the conventional way, through the printed textbook while the experimental group taught by the software version of the same book. Three ANCOVAs were run to compare the performance of experimental and control groups after the treatment period. The results of the ANCOVAs revealed that using vocabulary learning software was more effective than using printed book on vocabulary learning, vocabulary breadth, and vocabulary depth of the participants. The results of the present study could help EFL course book designers, foreign language institutes, educational planners, material developers, teachers, and learners to provide a better context for EFL learning. Keywords: computer-assisted instruction, computer-assisted language learning, information communication technology, vocabulary breadth, vocabulary teaching software.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Nunpaporn Durongbhandhu ◽  
Danuchawat Suwanasilp

Vocabulary is an essential factor in English language learning. The competency in vocabulary acquisition enables learners to develop their language skills, especially, reading skill. Presently, with the advent of technology, teaching media with visual aid is used worldwide for media-assisted language learning. The study aimed to develop, implement Multimodal Glossing Reading Program (MMGR), used for enhancing English vocabulary acquisition, and compare the program with Textual Glossing Reading Program (TGR) and a control group. One control group and two experimental groups were performed by 72 university learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). An experimental research with randomized pretest-posttest control group was used. Pre-and post-tests of meaning and form recognition were administered. The scores learners obtained from the pre-test and post-test within groups and between groups were analyzed by MANOVA. The findings revealed that MMGR was effective than TGR and the control group. It is suggested that teaching English vocabulary through MMGR program not only helps learners have the ability in vocabulary acquisition, but also enables the instructors to use the program as a potentially supplemental material or alternative method in teaching vocabulary as well.


Al-Lisan ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-166
Author(s):  
Muhammad Safdar Bhatti ◽  
Alvons Habibie ◽  
Shaista Noreen ◽  
Sabir Hussain ◽  
Shahla Bajwa

A foreign language teacher often employs realia to strengthen pupils' association between words and objects. The current study investigates real-life activities that improve vocabulary learning in the English language and the impact of realia on improving students' vocabulary learning performance. It was an experimental study with only post-test design. Forty students participated in the study. The data were collected and analyzed statistically. The results revealed that vital activities used for vocabulary development were menu selection, game recognition, picture identification, activity identification, magazine adds understanding, and identification of cities and map reading, respectively. It was evident that the experimental group performed better when compared with the control group. The study suggested that students may focus their attention, stimulate their interest, give them real impact, make them aware, and modernize their language learning through vocabulary improvement.


Author(s):  
Davoud Amini ◽  
Shirin Ayari ◽  
Mansour Amini

Flow is an optimal psychological state that has been described at length by Csikszentmihalyi (1990, 1993) as a state in which people become totally immersed in an activity and enjoy it intensely. According to Csikszentmihalyi, such a peak experience can emerge in any situation in which there is an activity to do. Researchers have indeed found evidence for flow during the execution of a large number of different activities including sports, work, and playing music. However, state of flow during language learning activities has hardly been studied. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between task-induced state of flow during vocabulary acquisition activities and the achievement in terms of short-term and long-term vocabulary acquisition. Sixty five learners at an English Language Institution took part in vocabulary acquisition tasks aimed at engaging learners cognitively and affectively in the state of flow. To measure flow state the “Flow Perceptions Questionnaire” in the Likert format (Egbert, 2003) was used. It was an instrument for gathering the data concerning students’ affective responses during task engagement. The researcher-made retention measurement was used to determine vocabulary learning efficiency. The result indicated that flow existed in the vocabulary learning classroom and that there was a significant relationship between the level of flow state and vocabulary retention both in immediate and delayed measurements. Also male and female learners of EFL were different in terms of vocabulary retention resulting from flow state.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 624-643
Author(s):  
Istvan Thekes

Examining the relationship between technology and the success of language acquisition and the integration of technology into language instruction has been around of a long time by now. The development of technology can essentially change how languages are taught. Nevertheless, it is only in the last few years that the road has opened up for new language learning opportunities. In this current study, the impact of a pedagogical intervention is presented grounded on Xeropan, a gamified language learning application. In addition to assessing the impact of the app, a questionnaire was also applied to find out how efficient language learners find language learning with the application. Based on the original aim of the literature and the study, answers were sought as to how Xeropan influences the English language learning process, how student users find Xeropan in terms of efficiency and motivation, and how self-regulated motivation correlates with use of Xeropan. It was found that Xeropan application has a positive impact on language learning processes. There was a visible improvement in language learners, and at the level of some tasks, it was indicated that there was a significant improvement as a result of the developmental intervention using Xeropan. It was also pointed out that students are content to work with Xeropan and find that it has a positive effect on them. Further conclusions are drawn.


English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.


English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Farzana Sharmin Pamela Islam

As 21st century is the era of modern technologies with different aspects, it offers us to make the best use of them. After tape recorder and overhead projector (OHP), multimedia has become an important part of language classroom facilities for its unique and effective application in delivering and learning lesson. Although in many parts of Bangladesh, a South Asian developing country, where English enjoys the status of a foreign language, the use of multimedia in teaching and learning is viewed as a matter of luxury. However, nowadays the usefulness and the necessity of it are well recognized by the academics as well as the government. The study aims to focus on the difference between a traditional classroom void of multimedia and multimedia equipped classrooms at university level by explaining how multimedia support the students with enhanced opportunity to interact with diverse texts that give them more in-depth comprehension of the subject. It also focuses on audio-visual advantage of multimedia on the students’ English language learning. The study has followed a qualitative method to get an in-depth understanding of the impact of using multimedia in an English language classroom at tertiary level. For this purpose, the data have been collected from two different sources. Firstly, from students’ written response to  an open ended question as to their comparative experience of learning  lessons with and without multimedia facilities; and secondly, through  observation of English language classes at a private university of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The discussion of the study is limited to  the use of multimedia in English language classroom using cartoons, images and music with a view to enhance students’ skills in academic writing, critical analysis of image and critical appreciation of music. For this purpose, cartoons in English language, images from Google and music from You Tube have got focused discussion in this paper.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-129
Author(s):  
Asti Gumartifa ◽  
◽  
Indah Windra Dwie Agustiani

Gaining English language learning effectively has been discussed all years long. Similarly, Learners have various troubles outcomes in the learning process. Creating a joyful and comfortable situation must be considered by learners. Thus, the implementation of effective learning strategies is certainly necessary for English learners. This descriptive study has two purposes: first, to introduce the classification and characterization of learning strategies such as; memory, cognitive, metacognitive, compensation, social, and affective strategies that are used by learners in the classroom and second, it provides some questionnaires item based on Strategy of Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) version 5.0 that can be used to examine the frequency of students’ learning strategies in the learning process. The summary of this study explains and discusses the researchers’ point of view on the impact of learning outcomes by learning strategies used. Finally, utilizing appropriate learning strategies are certainly beneficial for both teachers and learners to achieve the learning target effectively.


Author(s):  
Marco Civico

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to develop an simulation model able to test different language education orientations and their consequences for the EU population in terms of linguistic disenfranchisement, that is, the inability of citizens to understand EU documents and parliamentary discussions should their native language(s) no longer be official. I will focus on the impact of linguistic distance and language learning. Ideally, this model would be a tool to help EU policy makers make informed decisions about language practices and education policies, taking into account their consequences in terms of diversity and linguistic disenfranchisement. The model can be used to force agents to make certain choices in terms of language skills acquisition. The user can then go on to compare different scenarios in which language skills are acquired according to different rationales. The idea is that, by forcing agents to adopt certain language learning strategies, the model user can simulate policies promoting the acquisition of language skills and get an idea of their impact. In this way, the model allows not only to sketch various scenarios of the evolution of language skills among EU citizens, but also to estimate the level of disenfranchisement in each of these scenarios.


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