scholarly journals Listening Anxiety Experienced by English Language Learners: A Comparison between Iranian and Turkish Teacher Candidates

Author(s):  
Elham Kavandi ◽  
Nikou Davarpanah

This study focuses on the listening anxiety experienced by teacher candidates (TCs) in Iran and Turkey. Using different data collection methods, including two questionnaires, listening test, and semi-structured interviews, this study tried to investigate the factors behind Foreign Language Listening Anxiety (FLLA) among Iranian teacher candidates (TCs). The participants of the study in Iran context were 29 teacher candidates studying at BA level in English Language Teaching. All of the participants were asked to complete these two questionnaires with the background information regarding their age, gender, years of language study. The participants’ answers to FLLAS and FLCAS were analyzed with spss to obtain frequencies and percentages. The results were compared to the same study by Bekleyen. The findings revealed that Iranian TCs experienced a high level of FLLA compared to Turkish TCs and showed a significant positive correlation between FLLA and FLCA, which means that teacher candidates with higher levels of language anxiety tended to have higher levels of listening anxiety. In addition, interview data suggested that Iranian and Turkish participants’ FLLA mostly originated from the same source: inadequacy of past education in listening skill. Furthermore, practice was the most frequent strategy used by participants in these two countries to overcome this kind of anxiety.

Author(s):  
Ali Akbar Khansir ◽  
Afsaneh Salehabadi

As the topic suggests, the research paper presents Study of Consonant Pronunciations Errors Committed by EFL Learners. Error analysis always tries to resolve language learners’ problems in acquiring second or foreign language setting. Learning to English pronunciation is perhaps as important as learning listening skill, speaking, and spelling. Errors in English pronunciation create several problems for English language learners in their works. In other words, most of the English language errors of pronunciation are due to the lack of knowledge of language learners. However, all the students in our sample are of age group (16-25) at Bushehr language institute and they are all Iranian nationals. In addition, all of them were female learners. An English pronunciation (consonant) test was used to get information about the knowledge of the learners in English pronunciation. Findings of this article indicated that the first and second hypotheses of this article were accepted, but the third hypothesis was rejected. However, the findings of this paper showed that the Iranian EFL students have problem to pronounce English sounds correctly.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jeong Mi Moon

Over the last three decades in the U.S., schools have endeavored to provide more equitable access to rigorous courses, especially for racially or socioeconomically marginalized students, and increased those students' participation in higher level courses. Despite such improvement, the gaps in high level courses enrollment among racially or socioeconomically different student groups still remain with those marginalized students underrepresented in the high level courses. The present study focused on another marginalized group of students, English language learners (ELLs) and sought to identify school practices that may improve ELLs' access to advanced math courses in high school. Using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, the present study examined three key school practices in association with ELLs' taking advanced math: i) student choice-based math placement policies, ii) math encouraging programs for underrepresented studentudy found that only math PLCs had a statistically significant association with the probability of taking advanced math courses, net of prior achievement and other student- and school-level factors. The math PLCs examined here represented a collaboration among math teachers to learn effective teaching methods and discuss their teaching/learning belief for students including ELLs or under-performing students. It found no differential effects of school practices and ELLs' taking advanced math courses, the main focus of this study. However, the findings indicate that ELLs can also benefit from high quality math PLCs as much as other students. The key finding of the present study suggests the possible area that school leadership and educators should develop to improve students' access to advanced math courses net of their prior achievement. Particularly for ELLs, the finding suggests that training content area teachers may help ELLs more readily access academicarformance. Most importantly, considering taking advanced math in high school is a critical issue for ELLs in regard to their participation in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce in the future, there should be more research that explicitly investigates school policies and practices that may facilitate ELLs' access to higher level courses in high school. keywords: English language learners, High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, math professional learning communities, student choice, advanaced math


Author(s):  
Xiaochi Zhang

Language And Culture Keep A Very Close Relationship And Are Inseparable. English Language Teaching Is Not Only To Cultivate English Language Learners’ Linguistic Competence, But Also To Promote Their Intercultural Communication Competence. In Fact, English Vocabulary Teaching Is One Part Of Vital Integration In English Language Teaching. Meantime, English Vocabulary Teaching Plays An Important Role In The Cultivation Of English Language Learners’ Intercultural Communication Awareness. Therefore, The Author Attempts To Expound The Significance Of Cultural Elements In English Vocabulary Teaching, Discusses About The Relationship Between Language And Culture, Stresses On The Cultural Connotations Of English Vocabulary Through The Formation Of English Language, Especially In Some Specific Words And Focuses On Some Typical Cases And Analyzes The Functions Of English Vocabulary Teaching For English Language Learners’ Intercultural Communication Awareness Finally, The Author Puts Forward Some Useful Suggestions To Cultivate The English Language Learners’ Intercultural Communication Awareness Through English Vocabulary Teaching.


Author(s):  
Xiaochi Zhang ◽  
Jinjing ZHANG

This article discusses about the relationship between linguistic competence and intercultural communication competence, and then about the functions of English language teaching in improving students’ intercultural communication competence. Finally, it explores how to develop English language learners’ intercultural communication competence in English language teaching and gives some useful suggestions, so as to really realize the final objective of English language teaching.


Author(s):  
Judi Simmons Estes ◽  
Judith Lynne McConnell-Farmer

One of the challenges facing teachers in the United States is providing high-quality education for all students met in the classroom, including those who too often are underserved: students of color, low-income students, English-language learners, as well as students in urban and rural settings. Teachers report feeling unprepared and lack confidence in teaching students from culturally different backgrounds from themselves. This chapter suggests that in addition to becoming certified teachers, teacher candidates need to be inspired by teacher educators who are passionate about cultural learning and willing to share their own journey. Through sharing, teacher educators can provide practices that build cultural knowledge and increase cultural experiences of teacher candidates.


Author(s):  
Melissa Rebekah Bodola

Online learning calls for a revolution in course development for English language teaching. This chapter examines the effects of interpersonal interaction, computer-mediated tasks, and podcasting on engagement in listening and speaking activities by exploring instruction that promotes fluent and accurate speech, in addition to the potential benefits of employing student podcasts as authentic listening materials. Fifty-one L1 Arabic English language learners (ELLs) from an intermediate English cohort of the Foundation Program for English Language (FPEL) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman responded to a 24-question online survey that addressed their perceptions of classroom-based and online listening and speaking activities. To further ascertain students' motivations, the researcher interviewed a focus group of seven learners from the cohort and examined willingness to engage in speaking activities inside the classroom and as part of extracurricular activities. Findings suggest an influence of foreign language anxiety (FLA) on participation.


Author(s):  
Juan A. Rios Vega ◽  
Cecile M. Arquette ◽  
Hwa Lee ◽  
Heljä Antola Crowe ◽  
Jana Lynn Hunzicker ◽  
...  

Bradley University's embedded English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement program was first implemented during the 2015-2016 academic year. This program consists of eighteen credit hours of course work specified by the Illinois State Board of Education in order to prepare teachers to work with students who do not speak English as their first language. Now in its second year, early outcomes of the program are quite positive. This chapter describes the program and its development in detail, and analyzes the program's strengths and weaknesses, focusing especially on teacher candidates' knowledge of pedagogy and cultural awareness as it relates to social justice in education for English language learner (ELL) students. The chapter concludes with recommendations for programming and future research.


Author(s):  
Judi Simmons Estes ◽  
Judith Lynne McConnell-Farmer

One of the challenges facing teachers in the United States is providing high-quality education for all students met in the classroom, including those who too often are underserved: students of color, low-income students, English-language learners, as well as students in urban and rural settings. Teachers report feeling unprepared and lack confidence in teaching students from culturally different backgrounds from themselves. This chapter suggests that in addition to becoming certified teachers, teacher candidates need to be inspired by teacher educators who are passionate about cultural learning and willing to share their own journey. Through sharing, teacher educators can provide practices that build cultural knowledge and increase cultural experiences of teacher candidates.


Author(s):  
Christine Rosalia

The purpose of this study is to describe an ongoing service-learning project that brings pre-service teachers in an MA graduate program in Teaching English as a Second Language to tutor English language learners in a low-income urban high school. Excerpts from nine different teachers on sessions with the same learner offer snapshots of the learner's progress as he interacts with them. Impact on teacher expectations and demonstrated resilience working with this student is evaluated in concert with how well the project embodies the standards of service-learning as mutually beneficial practice. An analogy will be drawn between the behaviors of passengers in a stopped subway train and the varied ways teacher candidates and the project as a whole embodies culturally responsive teaching.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document